Last Chance
by Violet Nyte
Summary: 1 2 Arriving home to an empty apartment long after the war, Heero receives a strange answering machine message from ex-lover Duo. What follows will change his life forever... and not necessarily for the better. -finished-
1. The Message

LSE // 5-3-03   
(Last Chance - The Message)  
rated: PG13 - language, content (warning: dark)  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
The Message  
  
-  
  
Hanging his jacket on the rack with a sigh, Heero looked around the   
apartment as if expecting someone to greet him. Of course, there was   
no one, and he shut the door with more force than necessary in   
reaction to the foolishness of even thinking there would be someone.   
  
"Baka Heero," he chided softly, moving into the apartment. Half way   
across the living room, however, he noticed a blinking red light.  
Turning slowly, Heero stared in disbelief at the answering machine,   
perched smugly atop the coffee table. He never had messages; the only  
reason he even had the device was that it had been a gift from Relena   
on their last anniversary. And he had been meaning to throw the   
worthless contraption out for months.  
  
Cautiously, as if expecting the machine to explode, Heero pushed the   
little round 'play' button. The speakers emitted a sharp 'beep!' and   
then there was silence. Heero sighed in annoyance and reached for the   
delete button, vaguely disappointed, but his hand froze an inch away.  
  
"...Heero? Oh. Hey, guess you aren't home. God, I feel so stupid..."  
  
"Duo?" he asked out loud, even though he new perfectly well he was   
talking to a recorded message. Even digital, even recorded, the voice   
was unmistakable. However... Heero frowned, staring at the machine   
and silently begging for the message to keep going.  
  
"I'm sorry for bothering you. I really thought you'd be home..." Duo   
sighed, a sad, desperate sound. "Damn, I wish there was a way to just   
delete this. Oh, never mind. Just... sorry for bothering you."  
  
Stunned, Heero stared at the machine long after the message had   
beeped to a close. What was Duo calling him for? And sounding so...   
Heero fumbled over words and discovered he couldn't pin down the   
exact emotion. When was the last time he'd even spoken to the braided   
baka? Or, seen him, for that matter.  
  
Unable to resist, Heero played the message again. Not since the war   
had Heero really spent time with the American pilot. The war... Heero   
sighed, running a hand through his unruly chocolate hair and walking   
away from the answering machine. Duo's voice stayed with them,   
however, teasing and haunting despite his efforts to forget. Heero   
had been trying to forget ever since the war... what, five years ago?   
Six? So many...  
  
"We were just boys," Heero growled to himself. Only 15, and Duo had   
seemed to think there was something more than physical relief in   
their frequent nights together. War was stressful, and boys needed   
certain comforts, even soldiers. And after the war, Duo had thought   
there could be a future. Heero shook his head at the memory, suddenly   
aware of how cold and cruel the rejection must have been.  
  
But surely Duo had moved on? Especially when word got out that Relena   
and Heero were together, much to the surprise of the world leaders.   
Relena, the pacifist Queen, and Heero, quite possibly the most   
violent and brutal of the Gundam pilots. How many years? Heero had   
lost track.  
  
Duo must have moved on. Quatre, in efforts to keep the pilots   
connected, liked to through spontaneous parties. Heero and Relena   
attended early on, but not in the past year, not after the engagement   
announcement. Relena seemed convinced the other Gundam pilots gave   
her the cold shoulder and glared when Heero wasn't around. Relena was  
a smart girl; she knew the look in Duo's eye.   
  
Pressing his forehead to the glass, Heero gazed out at the city   
skyline, wondering if Duo was out there somewhere. ...What was he   
thinking? Relena deserved better... But, Relena didn't own him   
anymore. Heero stared down at his hand, devoid of the gold engagement   
ring it had born for so long.  
  
Turning suddenly, Heero stormed across the room and snatched the   
answering machine from the table. Unplugging the phone cord in the   
back, he glared down at the device before throwing it across the room.  
It skittered over the carpet and bounced harmlessly off the way,  
mocking Heero. No more Relena.  
  
His hands, the traitors, picked up the phone and dialed the operator.   
When she answered, all polite 'how may I assist you,' it took Heero a   
moment to figure out what to ask. "Maxwell. Duo. In the city?"  
  
"One moment please," she chirped perkily. "Would you like me to   
connect you?"  
  
"Uh, yes," Heero started to pace. What was he going to say? The  
operator clicked off and the phone began to ring. Once... twice... On   
the fifth ring, Heero hung up angrily and nearly slammed the phone on   
to the table. Not home, and Duo probably didn't have an answering   
machine purchased by an ex-fiancee lying around.  
  
Heero paused, then slowly glanced out the window again. In the corner,  
the half-broken answering machine gave a forlorn beep and Duo's voice,  
sounding slightly worse for wear, suddenly burst forth.  
  
"...Heero? Oh. Hey, guess you aren't home. God, I feel so stupid..."  
  
Quietly, Heero pocketed his keys and slipped his jacket back on. The   
message was still playing when he left.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
6F  
  
Heero glanced down to the phone book page he had 'borrowed' from a   
phone booth and confirmed the neat line of text. There was only one   
Duo Maxwell in the city, and this was the listed address. Shoving the   
ripped page into his back pocket, Heero cautiously lifted one hand   
and rapped on the smooth oak surface.  
  
The building looked nice... not much in the way of security, but   
nice. Heero paused, then knocked on the door again. No answer came  
from inside, not even a shuffle of footsteps. Frowning, Heero reached   
out and, on a whim, tried the knob. The door swung open easily,   
unlocked and loose on its hinges. Shocked, Heero stared into the   
apartment, which looked barren and abandoned. For a moment, he   
thought perhaps Duo had moved recently and the phone book had yet to   
update its listing, but he noted the small touches that spoke of an   
occupant. Duo still lived here.  
  
Stepping inside hesitantly, Heero called out, "Duo! Are you home?"  
  
From the other room, he caught the sounds of running water and   
fumbling, followed promptly by Duo appearing in the doorway. A towel   
wrapped securely around his waist and another bundled atop his head,   
Duo stopped in mid-step and stared at Heero in shock. "He-heero!" he   
finally cried, venturing out into the living room. "That really you?"  
  
"You - uh - called?" Heero forced himself to look only at Duo's face   
and not the finely built, slim chest and -- what was he doing? Heero   
accredited his temptation to memories and loneliness from Relena's   
not-to-recent departure from his life. And good riddance to her...  
  
"What?" Duo blinked in confusion, "Oh, that. Forget it, I wasn't   
really thinking straight... Uh, come in! Come in. Let me just..." Duo   
vanished, voice fading off.  
  
Heero awkwardly closed the door and entered fully into the apartment.   
Moving crates were stacked in the center of the room, and he chose a   
sturdy-looking one to sit upon. Taking the opportunity to look around   
more, Heero was disturbed by what he saw. Even taking into account   
Duo looked ready to move, the apartment had a... Heero shook his head,  
unable to place the vibe he was getting. "Vibe?" he muttered out loud   
in disgust. Heero Yuy did not get 'vibes.'  
  
"Yeah, just sit anywhere. Sorry about the mess," Duo said with a weak   
smile, walking back into the living room. One fluffy white towel was   
still wrapped around his head, securely the long chestnut hair Heero   
knew lay beneath, but the other had been forsaken in favor of a robe.   
Duo was just flicking closed the sash when he walked in, momentarily   
exposing lean muscles and a pair of simple cotton boxers.  
  
Heero looked away politely, "The phone book. Are you moving?"  
  
Duo laughed, "Observant as always. Not exactly moving as just...   
leaving. Vacation," he explained with another low laugh, but the tone   
sent a chill over Heero's spine. "Would you like a drink? I think I   
have a bottle of bubbly somewhere in that kitchen..."  
  
"Uh, yes. Please," Heero nearly kicked himself. Why was he acting   
so... juvenile? This entire visit was a bad idea. He should have just   
ignored that stupid answering machine and watched brainless television  
until falling asleep to paid-programming. But, the message, and Duo   
had sounded so...  
  
"Here we are," Duo said brightly, walking back in with two glasses of   
pale, sparkling champagne. "Bottoms up!"  
  
Heero took a small sip, but Duo merely set his glass aside without so   
much as a taste. About to comment, Heero opened his mouth, but the   
look on Duo's face stopped him. "What is it?" he asked instead,   
staring in confusion at the gaze levelled at him. "Duo?"  
  
The American laughed the same chilling laugh and sat across from   
Heero, pulling up a moving crate to perch atop. "You've changed some,   
since the war. I bet you're not even carrying a gun."  
  
"No, Relena never liked..."  
  
"Ah," Duo interrupted softly, "Relena. Let's not talk about that. I   
bet you're curious as to why I called, huh? God, it's so different,   
actually looking at you... Your eyes, hm? I always liked your eyes.   
Your lips. Your hair. Oh, hell, Heero, I liked every bit of you."  
  
"...D-Duo?"  
  
"You're right. I'm rambling," Duo grinned, leaning back some to rake   
his eyes slowly over the full length of Heero. "But, you look good. I   
mean that. No, I'm sorry, I'll be serious now. I wanted to just tell   
you over the phone, because it's so much easier when I don't have to   
look at you. But, you weren't home. I bet that was a weird message.   
What did I say?"  
  
Duo kept right on going without pausing for an answer, "It doesn't   
matter now anyway. I weighed myself, you know, just to be sure. At   
least, I hope the scale was correct. It's going to suck if I was off   
by a few pounds. But, I thought of that already. Poor Heero, you look  
so confused! I'll start over. And keep it simple. Remember what it   
was like during the war? Hell, right? Not the violence and the   
missions, Heero, not that war, but that other. Ours. Us. Me, you. Sex.  
Great sex. I was happy. So happy... I kept thinking, after this is all  
over, me and Heero can settle down somewhere peaceful. Just me   
and Heero. Where there is no war."  
  
"Duo..." Heero sighed, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"No, listen. It's important. You obviously felt differently. Or else   
we wouldn't even be here right now. We'd be off fucking in some   
tropical paradise. Or something. I'm getting side-tracked." Duo   
leaned in slightly, his arms resting lazily across his knees. "So,   
you went off with Relena and that was it between us. I guess you   
thought I'd get over you, huh? I don't know what you felt, but I   
never saw our nights together as anything less than heaven. God,   
Heero, couldn't you see it? I thought it was so obvious. I loved you.   
I was head over heels in love with you. But, Relena, and you never   
loved me, did you?"  
  
"Duo! Stop it," Heero cried in anguished, unable to hear those words   
being delivered in such a hopeless, defeated way. Duo blinked,   
sitting back some and staring at Heero as if the Japanese boy had just   
grown a third arm. "I'm sorry, Duo, for the past. Let's not dwell..."  
  
"Oh, easy for you to say!" Duo raged, eyes narrowing into a powerful   
glare. "You've have Relena to forget yourself in; I haven't. Nothing,   
Heero, nothing could take away the pain of losing you. Sex, drugs,   
alcohol, wild parties with all three combined; anything, everything,   
to just stop thinking. I tried it all. Nothing. Every minute I   
thought of you. I couldn't escape. Yeah, we were young, and it was   
rough in the war, but I knew you were my soul mate. No one else could   
ever make me as happy as when I was with you."  
  
Heero crossed his arms, desperately trying to hug some control into   
himself. Why was Duo doing this to him? What purpose did it serve,   
all these painful memories? "You should have told me..."  
  
Eye glinting, Duo laughed that same, spine-chilling laugh that spoke   
of desperation and heartbreak. "Told you? Heero, you are so cute   
sometimes. It never occurred to me you felt differently until   
Relena... and then it was just too late. Told you? Told you..." Duo   
suddenly looked defeated, staring down at the worn carpeting, "Yeah.   
I should have told you. Would it have made a difference, though?   
Don't bother answering; I already know. It wouldn't have mattered,   
except maybe making it easier now."  
  
"I'm sorry, Duo," Heero said weakly, feeling as if Duo had just   
written EVIL BASTARD across his forehead. Which was true. How could   
he have not noticed Duo's feelings? But, that was the past, and Heero   
made it his policy to live in the present.   
  
"It doesn't matter. How can I stay mad at you? This was suppose to   
happen over the phone, you know. But you weren't home. I left a note,   
of course. I guess I like this better. I get to see your face. It   
really is a pretty face. No, handsome. That's it. Handsome. Sexy. Oh,   
Heero, can't you guess? I still love you. I never stopped loving you.   
I never will stop loving you. You, go, be happy. Marry Relena."  
  
Heero frowned, suddenly aware of the slight change in Duo's   
mannerisms. They were too controlled and precise. And... the young   
man's voice stumbled slightly. He glanced to the still untouched   
champagne glass sitting on the floor. It sounded as if Duo was drunk,   
but... that still didn't seem right. Heero knew those symptoms well,   
and none accurately applied.  
  
"Duo," Heero cast his gaze helplessly around the room. "Duo, did no   
one tell you? I'm not marrying Relena. Everything's over between us."  
  
Far from looking pleased at the news, Duo's eyes flew wide and his   
face went white as a sheet. "Wha...what?" he breathed, "you're not...   
marrying her? It's over?"  
  
"Yes. Nearly three months ago. No one told you? I thought, I mean,   
it's not on the news yet, but Quatre..." Heero stopped talking, aware   
that he was rambling and sounding pathetic to boot.   
  
"No, no one told me," Duo whispered, still looking pale and stunned.   
Heero frowned; he'd expected Duo to be thrilled at the news. There   
was still hope that... with a silent growl, Heero cut that thought  
off. "You mean, you're not marrying Relena? Oh... wow. I really wish   
I'd known that..." Duo laughed weakly. "God, this is so not funny."  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Slowly, Duo raised his eyes to meet Heero's and offered a small smile,  
"I'm really sorry. Things weren't suppose to work out this way."  
  
"Duo, you're scaring me."  
  
"Ironic way to go, huh?"  
  
"...to go?" Heero echoed, staring at Duo with the horror of dawning   
realization. "What did you do? Duo!" The American slid forward to his   
knees and Heero quickly caught him, alarmed at how pale Duo was.  
  
"Thanks for listening," Duo murmured, eyes half-closed. "Come again."  
  
"Duo!" Heero cried, frantically looking around the apartment for an   
idea of what on Earth was happening. "What did you do?!"  
  
Feeling as if the ground had just been jerked out from under him,   
Heero leapt to his feet and looked around for a telephone. A doctor.   
There had to be a phone somewhere; Duo had called him, after all. His   
search resulted in nothing, and all the while the pit of worry in   
Heero's stomach grew. Finally, he checked the one place he hadn't yet   
for the telephone; the bathroom.  
  
Snapping the light on, Heero stared passively at the counter before   
him, strewn with empty pill bottles. Oh, God, Duo...! Spotting the   
phone, nestled there against the cabinet, Heero snatched it up and   
started to dial emergency with shaking fingers.  
  
For a moment, Heero simply stared at the phone in shock, unable to   
realize why it was beeping at him. That rapid, annoying beep that   
signaled another phone was off the hook somewhere in the house. Heero   
snatched up one of the empty orange bottles and stared at the label,   
his spinning mind trying to comprehend.  
  
150 milligrams once a day. Zoloft.  
  
God, Duo, is this what you meant by ironic? Duo...  
  
Heero dropped the container and spun, racing back into the living   
room and falling to his knees beside the limp form. For a moment he   
feared the worst, but a pulse raced beneath his searching fingers.   
Fluttering, weak, far too fast. He had to do something, anything.   
Contact poison control. Phone dead.   
  
How long, how long ago did Duo take the pills? How many? Enough to   
cause unconsciousness... death... No, not Duo!  
  
Slowly, Heero picked up Duo and stood, alarmed by how light-weight   
the frail body felt in his arms. Cradling Duo carefully against his   
chest, Heero could only think of one thing: get a doctor.  
  
"Please, Duo, don't die... Don't die..."  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: This idea tackled me. Beat me unconscious. Left me for  
dead and stole my clothes. I never saw it coming. Muah.  
...What do you think? Feedback is always eagerly accepted ^_^  
Poor, poor Duo. I'm still sick, did you know that? I don't think I'll  
ever be well again! x_x This is all part my muses' sick plans, I just   
know it! I'm on medication, but it's not really working that   
effectively... ugh. Well, let me know what you think!  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website for cool "shtuff"   



	2. Tears in the Dark

LSE // 5-9-03   
(Last Chance - Tears in the Dark)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Tears in the Dark  
  
-  
  
Heero stared into the dark depths of his coffee, the hospital around   
him nothing but a distant blur. The sounds of nurses and machines   
faded out in favor of his own silent mantra. Please, Duo, don't die...   
Don't die. Carefully rolling the coffee cup in his hands, Heero tore   
his eyes away from the dark liquid to stare blankly at the muted   
television bolted into the ceiling.   
  
Anything to stop thinking about that final vision that kept fluttering  
in his mind; Duo, pale and limp, being loaded on to the stretcher and   
wheeled out among yelling hoards of nurses and doctors. The emergency   
room's double doors swinging shut, a young nurse trying to hold Heero   
back, explaining he had to wait.   
  
To wait. God, how Heero hated waiting. Please, Duo, don't die...   
  
Was no news good news, or bad news? How long had Heero sat in the   
waiting room, alternatively staring at his coffee, the television,   
and out the glass windows into the rapidly fading evening. How long?   
Dimly, Heero could recall a nurse bringing him coffee, offering a   
smile with the drink, and leaving. He had yet to take a sip of the   
coffee, which was growing cold. Was Duo dead, and growing cold?  
  
No. He wouldn't think that. Couldn't think that. Should he be praying?   
To whatever God there was, whatever God that would listen to Heero's   
words, tainted by the past and blood. That silent mantra: Please, Duo,  
don't die. If only he'd... what? Gotten there sooner? Treated Duo   
better? If Duo had known Relena was gone, if Heero had never left him,  
hurt him, like that. If...  
  
How long had it been? Surely Duo was okay by now. Surely they would   
have pumped out all the poison, all those pills. How had Duo even   
gotten that many pills? Zoloft; prescription anti-depressants. Duo   
had said it was ironic. No, can't think that...  
  
Stomach pump, what else? Heero's brain refused to function properly.   
Anything to stop thinking of Duo's face, slicked with a sheen of   
sweat, pale, lifeless... Please, Duo, don't die!  
  
"Mr. Yuy?"  
  
Heero head snapped towards the nurse's station, his eyes pleading with  
the scrub-wearing young doctor standing there. Tell me it's going to   
be okay, Heero pleaded silently. Smile, laugh, dance, anything but   
stand there sadly, looking sympathetic.  
  
"Mr. Yuy, would you like to see him?"  
  
Somehow, Heero figured out how to breath again. "See... him?" he   
repeated, dazed.  
  
The young doctor nodded, looking grave. Instantly, Heero knew   
something had to be wrong. The news was suppose to be good --   
Congratulations, Mr. Yuy, your friend's gonna be okay! Not, not this.   
Not this grim delivery and an offer of... of, what? A last goodbye?  
  
Oh, God.  
  
Not Duo, just not Duo. Please, not Duo.  
  
The doctor lead Heero down the hall to a near-abandoned room lined   
with beds and machines. Curtains separated the beds out into cells,   
and as they passed Heero couldn't stop himself from staring at the   
other occupants of the beds. Some were sitting upright, apprehensively  
waiting for the doctors to relocate them elsewhere. One young girl   
chatted happily with her weeping mother despite having one arm bent   
at a very unnatural angle.   
  
At the very end, before a bed with the curtains drawn half-closed,   
the doctor stopped and turned to Heero with that same grave face.   
Heero had the strongest urge to punch the man, just to stop him from   
looking so... so... As if Duo was going to...   
  
Please, Duo, don't die.  
  
"I don't know how to tell you this, Mr. Yuy..." the young doctor said,  
resting one hand consolingly on Heero's shoulder. Too stunned for   
even a slight glare of response, Heero just stared, fascinated at the   
way the doctor's eyebrows drew together over his nose. Was that a   
freckle, or dried blood? "...might not make it."  
  
"...hn?" Heero blinked, aware he hadn't been listening to whatever   
the man had been saying.  
  
"I'm very sorry. We did all we could. The rest is in God's hands."  
  
Heero stared at the retreating doctor's back, rooted in place as if   
frozen by the very words. We did all we could. Might not make it.  
  
Woodenly, he turned his eyes to the bed, shuffling through the   
curtains to stand beside one of the machines. Duo's braid stuck out   
from beneath the starched white sheets, curling over the pillow to   
flutter down towards the floor. Fascinated, Heero reached out and   
carefully, reverently, picked up the chestnut length and placed it   
back on to the bed. Slowly, he drew his eyes aware from the plait and   
forced himself to look at the rest of Duo.  
  
Tubes ran from the machines against the wall and into Duo's frail   
body, including an IV and a blue plastic breathing tube. Were the   
machines the only thing keeping Duo alive? No, he wouldn't think of   
that... Not that. Heero's eyes finally rested on the heart monitor,   
as if staring at the weak green line would keep it going.  
  
Beep. Beep.  
  
Please, Duo, don't die.  
  
"Heero!"  
  
He turned just in time to catch a small, sobbing bundle that latched   
around his waist and wept into his shirt. Trowa stopped in the gap   
between the curtains, silently gazing at Duo with heavy eyes. Those   
emerald hues shifted over to rest of Heero's bewildered gaze,   
offering quiet companionship. Drawing his hands from his pockets,   
Trowa eased the weeping Quatre off of Heero and smoothed down the   
Arabian's blond hair, softly whispering 'shhh.'  
  
"We came just as soon as you called," Quatre managed, calming under   
Trowa's gentle touch. "How is he?"  
  
Called? Heero frowned slightly, trying to think past the dazed blur.   
Yes, he could recall something involving a phone call to Quatre,   
earlier. How long ago? Time was lost to him. Quatre scrubbed tears   
from his face and took the frown to be Heero's answer. "Not good,   
huh? Well... well, at least you were there..."   
  
"Let's get you some coffee," Trowa said quietly, reaching around   
Quatre to take hold of Heero's hand, leading him away from Duo's bed.   
Heero, not wanting to explain he didn't want or need coffee, let   
himself be steered back towards the waiting room.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Heero?" Quatre offered a slight smile, seeing those intense cobalt   
eyes shift away from staring at Duo. "Trowa and I are leaving now.   
Are you going to be okay here?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"The doctors say if...when," Quatre swallowed tears, trying to smile   
bravely for Heero's sake, "Duo makes it through the night. That's the   
hard part. They'll know in the morning what... if..."  
  
Trowa sighed, gently coaxing Quatre into silence. "Get some sleep,   
Heero," the taller boy said quietly before leaving.  
  
Besides a low moan from one of the other beds or a stray shuffle of a   
nurse, the hospital was silent but for the steady rhythm of machines.   
Beep. Beep. Beep. Heero found himself staring at the thin green line,   
silently urging it to keep going, to keep... Beep. Beep.  
  
The doctors had said the same thing as Quatre, but with more sympathy   
and less sincerity. The night was the ultimate test of Duo's ability   
to survive. Of the pills' ability to kill. Duo had to survive the   
night. Heero leaned forward in his chair, locking eyes on the heart  
monitor with the same silent plea. Beep. Beep.  
  
If... When Duo recovered, what would happen? Could Duo find purpose in  
life with the knowledge that Heero...  
  
Jamming fingers through the tangled snarl of his hair, Heero forced   
his thoughts away from such dangerous ideas. The past was the pats,   
and Duo just couldn't accept that. There could be no future between   
them, because the past was just the past and nothing more than...  
  
"Please, Duo, don't die," Heero whispered hoarsely, standing and   
approaching the hospital bed. "I'm sorry I ever hurt you..." he   
sighed, reaching out to gently brush a stray chestnut lock off from   
Duo's pale face. "I never meant to hurt you."  
  
"Don't die. Not now. Not when..."  
  
Everything faded away with realization, and Heero froze, his hand   
still lightly caressing Duo's cheek. "You can't die, Duo, because..."  
  
"Because I love you," he breathed in a voice scarcely louder than a   
whisper. "I love you," he repeated it, louder, hoping against hope   
that the words would summon Duo into consciousness, back into life.   
"I... I still love you. I never stopped loving you."  
  
Dimly, Heero felt one lone tear trace down his cheek, waver, and then   
fall lightly onto his hand, which still hovered over Duo's pale,   
peaceful face. "I never will stop loving you. Just... please, Duo,   
don't die! You can't die..."  
  
"You can't die," Heero whispered into the silence, suddenly aware...   
A horrified glance rose up to stare at the heart monitor just as the   
long, ominous tone sounded out. "...No!" Heero stared at the flat   
green line, as if he could make it start moving again by glaring.  
  
Voices shouted from down the hall and doctors and nurses flocked, one   
trying to ease Heero away from the bed. A doctor shouted, "Clear!" as   
he lowered the paddles down towards Duo's still chest.  
  
"No!" Heero tried to resist the nurse, but she was skillfully pushing   
him out of the doctor's way, murmuring nonsense reassurances. "He   
can't die, not when I love him! Duo!"  
  
"Clear!"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"Please, sir, you have to let the doctors..."  
  
"DUO!"  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"...nothing we could do."  
  
"...so young..."  
  
Heero ignored them all, trying to block out the hospital staff's quiet  
offers of sympathy and concern, trying to block out Quatre's quiet   
weeping into the curve of Trowa's shoulder. Over and over the final   
moments played in his mind; the waiting room, his pacing, not being   
able to be with Duo as... as he... The news coming softly, delivered   
by the doctor who failed to restart Duo's heart.  
  
The numb rage, Heero's initial reaction wanting to blame the doctor,   
fading with the stunning realization Duo was gone. Knowing he was to   
blame, knowing Duo died for Heero's stupid mistake. And now Duo was   
gone: time of death three minutes past midnight. Just another   
statistic on the hospital's record, just another blurb in the   
newspaper.   
  
And Heero had been too late to save him. His fault. For his stubborn   
denial of loving Duo.  
  
"...sleep," someone was saying softly, a gentle hand resting on   
Heero's shoulder.  
  
Lifting his head, Heero stared as colors shifted, stilled and formed   
Trowa's concerned face, watching him with a somber look. Quatre, his   
tears stopped for the moment, was on Heero's other side, "I'll call   
you a cab. Go home, Heero... sleep, rest. Cry, if you have to. It   
will be okay..."  
  
"No," Heero stood, his voice raw with the effort of keeping some   
composure, "it won't be okay." It'll never be okay, he wanted to say,   
because I killed Duo with my mistake. It's my fault he's gone. That I   
couldn't save him. I didn't see... I never told him.   
  
"Heero..." the small blond said, standing as well.  
  
"Forget it," Heero muttered, running his hand through his hair.   
"Yeah, sleep."  
  
Quatre suddenly frowned in concern, wondering if there was something   
he was missing out on. True, Duo and Heero had been close in the war;   
true, he had known that there may have been more to their relationship  
than friendship... "Would you like to stay with Trowa and I tonight?   
Our place is closer than your apartment..."  
  
Unspoken, was Quatre's worry that maybe Heero shouldn't be alone.  
  
Heero shook his head, "No... I'll call you in the morning."  
  
Troubled aqua eyes searched Heero's face for a long moment before   
Quatre nodded softly, "Yeah. Okay. Take care, Heero."  
  
The drive back to his apartment took just six minutes, thirty-seven   
seconds (Heero counted. It seemed important) but seemed forever. The   
city around him, usually still vibrant and lively even in the first   
few hours of morning, was dark and... dead. Dead, just like Duo, and   
Heero couldn't stop thinking: I killed him.  
  
The silence and the darkness extended into his apartment building,   
the elevator, and then his apartment. How many hours ago had he   
walked in here to find that damn red light blinking, heralding the   
beginning of Duo's end... how long ago? A lifetime ago. Heero went   
through the motions of hanging his jacket up and setting his keys on   
the kitchen counter before stopping to stare at the empty apartment.  
  
His eyes rested on the broken answering machine, slumped in the   
corner with the cover half off. Slowly, Heero walked over and picked   
up the battered device, turning it over in his hands. He carried it   
back over to the coffee table and set it down, trying to get the   
plastic cover to fit back over the busted wires and loose screws.   
It gave him an annoyed beep, and then...  
  
"...Heero? Oh. Hey, guess you aren't home. God, I feel so stupid..."  
  
He sat back, staring at the machine as it ran through the entire   
message without flaw, Duo's digital voice carrying the same heavy   
sadness as before. And then, only silence, as the message stopped   
playing and the answering machine gave one final desperate beep   
before breaking down entirely, a small tendril of smoke rising out   
from between the plastic keys.  
  
Heero buried his head into his hands, a loud sob breaking free as his  
control suddenly broke. "Duo..." he cried, "I love you..."  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: All I'm going to say is that this isn't the end.   
There will be more chapters to this story, I promise.  
On a more personal note, my birthday is this Friday (May 9th)  
And today, I went back to see the doctor. He took blood for some more   
tests and switched my medications. Hopefully I'll get better... x_x  
Feed the muses yummy comments so they'll let me keep working!   
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   



	3. Shinigami

LSE // 5-6-03   
(Last Chance - Shinigami)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Shinigami  
  
-  
  
Upon waking, Heero's first thought (besides how bright the light   
burned his poor eyes) was; I killed him. It took him a few minutes to   
figure what that meant and, when he recalled all the events of the   
previous day, Heero felt a rushing tide of guilt, anger, and remorse.   
Wanting to close his eyes against the agony and fall back into a sleep  
tortured by memories, Heero rolled over on the sofa and started to   
let his heavy eye lids fall.  
  
What he saw, however, removed all thoughts of sleep from his mind.   
Walking across the living room, Heero's toothbrush in hand, was a   
person. Heero stared, mind unable to bring the corresponding memory   
to account for such a presence in his apartment at whatever ungodly   
time of morning it was. Furthermore, why did the person, who was now   
out of his line of vision, seem so familiar?  
  
Sitting upright, Heero turned to stare through the opening above the   
kitchen counter to the person, who was brushing their teeth at the   
sink as if they belonged. Grogginess from just having woken up and the  
overwhelming depth of emotion kept Heero from really registered the   
entire situation, but the fog slowly lifted and he realized what   
was so disconcerting about the person. Black jeans, tight black shirt   
showing off a lean build of muscle and smooth, pale skin... a long   
chestnut braid dangling down the person's back...  
  
"...Duo?" Heero whispered, looking to the coffee table to confirm the   
presence of his broken answering machine; not just a dream, then, of   
Duo... dying...  
  
The person -- Duo -- spat into the sink and turned, flashing Heero a   
grin before opening up the refrigerator.  
  
I'm going crazy, Heero thought to himself. Oh, my God, I'm going   
completely and utterly crazy.  
  
"Where the hell is all your food, man?" Duo asked, letting the door   
to the appliance shut and walking out from the kitchen. "Oh, hey,   
used your toothbrush. Hope you don't mind."  
  
"...Duo?"  
  
"What?" Duo looked down at himself, "Oh, yeah, dig the look? I'm not   
sure about this braid, though. Must be a bitch to get dry after taking  
a shower."  
  
"...Duo?" Heero repeated, voice rising to near-hysterics.  
  
Duo laughed, "Man, you should see your face. Yeah, yeah, okay, I'll   
cut you some slack. Geesh, mortals," he muttered. He suddenly...   
shimmered... and Heero blinked, rubbing at his eyes and trying to   
convince himself this was all some stressed-out, psychotic dream.  
  
Looking up again, he found, not Duo, but a smirking young man with   
messy, light brown hair and dark black eyes. "I think you'd enjoy a   
little glimpse at your friend, hm? Ah, I can see from your face you   
want to kill me for that little trick."  
  
In fact, Heero was considering that as an option.  
  
"Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment?" Heero demanded,   
deciding that, for the moment, he wouldn't question the fact the man   
had just changed his appearance right before his eyes.   
  
"Shinigami's the name, death's my game."  
  
"...right. Good night," Heero muttered, lying back down into the sofa   
cushions, convinced this was one big, fucked up dream and he didn't   
want anything more to do with it. He just wanted to lie in peace and  
mourn, without a hallucinated and dreamed God of Death.  
  
"Hey! You know, I'm not just here because I needed to brush my teeth.   
You should really think about talking to me," the hallucination --   
Shinigami -- said, poking the bottom of Heero's foot impatiently.  
  
"Go away," Heero growled, sitting up again and fixing his best Death   
Glare on the hallucination.  
  
"No," he shoved Heero's legs off of the couch and sat down, returning   
the glare with an even stronger intensity. "You are not dreaming, I am   
not a hallucination, and it would be in your best interest to listen   
to me, Heero."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I told you; Shinigami. The God of Death. Mr. Sunshine himself. Don't   
look so shocked!"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Shinigami grinned, "Your soul."  
  
"What?!" Heero's eyes narrowed as the God burst into laughter. "Omae o  
korosu, Shinigami-sama," he growled out.  
  
"You can't kill me, I'm already dead. No, okay, I admit, that was so   
cliche... Seriously, though, I actually don't want anything from you.   
Except maybe your cooperation. I'm here to make you an offer. Let's   
just say, as thanks. For all the company you've sent me over the   
years. Or because I just feel like it. Or, maybe I feel sorry for you.  
Or maybe I'm just really bored," Shinigami shrugged philosophically.  
  
"...what kind of offer?"  
  
Shinigami leaned in, all pretense of a grin suddenly replaced by a   
very serious, very grim face. "What if I told you I have the power to   
change all this pain for you? To give you happiness. Hope. Purpose.   
Freedom from that all-encompassing guilt and remorse, that loneliness   
that threatens to overwhelm you at any moment. My offer is one you   
can't afford to turn down. I'm willing to give you that one last   
chance, Heero. To save that one you love. To secure a future with   
that loved one where there current is none."  
  
Heero's eyes widen as he stared into the endless dark abyss of   
Shinigami's gaze, feeling the otherworldly pull within them, the   
power and the danger. "What are you talking about?" he asked faintly,   
unable to tear his eyes away from the God's face.  
  
"I'm talking about a chance, Heero, to change your life. Think; what   
could the God of Death be talking about. Who could you save with my   
powers to assist you? Who do you love that I now possess, forever?"  
  
"...Duo," Heero breathed, suddenly very aware he was not going crazy   
and hallucinating. Everything was too vivid, and Shinigami's gaze bore  
into him, with a quality lurking in those blacker-than-black depths.   
Struck by the God's gaze, there was no denying the power he possessed.  
Those endlessly black eyes had never feared that which so many   
dreaded: Death. Those eyes were Death's.  
  
Shinigami slowly smiled, but the grin held no mirth. "Yes, Heero.   
That's who I'm talking about: your Duo."  
  
"I'll do anything," Heero said immediately, his thoughts filled with   
sparkling amethyst eyes and Duo's playful smile. "Anything," he   
insisted, fully aware of the dangers in offering Death that vow.  
  
With a pleased look similar to one of a cat having just eaten a   
canary, Shinigami set back and studied Heero with those dark eyes.   
"Here's what I'm going to do, Heero. Just because I like you, I'm   
going to make this simple. You have exactly 72 hours, that's three   
whole days, to change your future. This is a once-in-a-lifetime   
opportunity and I won't wait around for your answer, so listen   
carefully and think fast. Three days, Heero. That's non-negotiable,   
so don't even think about asking for an extension."  
  
Heero nodded, "72 hours."  
  
"Smart boy. I knew this was going to be fun. I like you, Heero.   
You've got brains, balls and brawn. A bit dense in the emotion   
department sometimes, but whatever." Shinigami smirked, seeing   
Heero's eyes glitter dangerously as they lowered into the trademark   
Yuy Death Glare. However, a Death Glare was pointless against the God   
of Death, and they both knew it.  
  
"What do I have to do?" Heero asked, barely keeping a civil tone.  
  
Shinigami rolled his shoulders lazily and stretched, taking his own   
damn sweet time before answering. "Your goal is simple, Heero. Love."  
  
"...love?"  
  
Shinigami grinned, "I'm a sucker for romance. Tell anyone and I'll   
kill you. That's just a joke..." the God sighed. "No one understands   
good humor anymore. Yes, love. You must find your true love and get   
at least one kiss. And you both must declare your love. And you must   
mean it. If it's insincere, it doesn't count. If, at the end of your   
three days, none of your goals have been accomplished, nothing will   
change. Duo will still be dead and you'll be alone. Miserable, sad,   
pathetic, and alone for the rest of your life, forever haunted that   
you blew the one big chance to make things right and save Duo."  
  
Heero nodded slowly, "And if I succeed?"  
  
"I'll return Duo to you. Now," Shinigami said briskly, offering out a   
small wrist-watch to Heero, "here's your timer. It'll count down from   
72 hours for you. When time runs out, no matter what, you'll return   
back to here; pass or fail. Any final questions or requests? Or am I   
wasting my time?"  
  
"If you're lying to me, Shinigami, I swear..."  
  
Shinigami merely raised one slim, pale eyebrow, the other-worldly   
aspect to his ebony hues flashing dangerously, "I never lie. Ever.   
Don't worry, I like you, Heero. Things are going to work out just   
fine, I know it."  
  
"Where are you sending me?" Heero asked warily, wondering if there was  
some truth the God was omitting... wonder if this wasn't... No, Heero   
carefully avoided meeting that dark gaze, however too-good-to-be-true   
it seemed, Shinigami was offering...  
  
"April 8th, A.C. 197, Earth. What do to say, Heero?"  
  
"If I succeed... Duo comes back, right? And he'll be okay... alive?"  
  
Shinigami nodded solemnly, "Yes."  
  
"Ninmu ryoukai... Mission accepted."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The change was instantaneous. One minute, Heero was sitting on his   
couch looking at the God of Death, the next he found himself lying on   
his back in a soft bed. Even without looking around, he knew he wasn't  
alone... mostly because one hand rested across his stomach and...   
Heero slowly turned his head, and found himself face-to-face with a   
sleeping Relena Darlian, who laid curled along beside him.  
  
Shinigami, you bastard.  
  
A.C. 197; the war was over, Duo gone off somewhere into space, and   
Heero Yuy lying in bed with Vice-Foreign Minister Darlian.  
  
Shinigami... you complete and total bastard.  
  
"Mmm...Heero?" Relena said sleepily, stirring slightly and opening   
her bright corn-flower blue eyes to gaze lovingly at him. "Good   
morning," she smiled dreamily and stretched, the sheets falling away   
to reveal a soft, pale curve of...  
  
"Hn," Heero muttered, silently cursing Shinigami with ever fiber of   
his being. Ending things with Relena when they had both realized the  
relationship could never work had been hard enough (Heero hated to   
admit it when on a mission for Duo, but he felt a gentle fondness for   
the girl...) but now? With Relena gazing at him so trustingly and her   
entire body almost singing with joy?  
  
"Oh, don't just growl," she teased, trailing her fingers lightly along   
his side with a sly smile.   
  
Duo's life hung on the line, and Heero steeled himself against the   
happy glow coming from Relena's gaze and her gentle touch. So what if   
Shinigami was a total bastard and chose to make things as difficult   
as possible... so what if he had no idea where to find Duo, much less   
how to convince the youth that Heero really and truly did love him.   
Sneaking a casual glance to his wrist, Heero caught the whirling   
digital numbers, which read 71:54:65:84 and counting. Seventy-one   
hours, fifty-four minutes...   
  
He could do it. Heero vowed that within twelve hours he would have   
ended things with Relena once for all and located Duo. And be at Duo's  
doorstep, even if he was on L2 or deep in the jungles of Africa. No  
matter what it took. Twelve hours. That left Heero two and a half   
days to win Duo over. Which shouldn't be too difficult, since Duo   
should still have some... something...  
  
What if... Duo didn't love him?   
  
No... Heero tried to remember Duo's fatal confession, that night...   
last night. //"I knew you were my soul mate. No one else could ever   
make me as happy as when I was with you... I still love you. I never   
stopped loving you. I never will stop loving you..."//   
  
Without effort, Heero could recall the tone of Duo's voice, soft,   
sincere... heart-broken. Even so soon after the war, after Heero   
cruelly left after all those nights shared in embrace, even so close   
to the fresh wounds, Duo had to remember... Duo had to still feel   
something for Heero. Surely if Heero finally admitted and finally  
showed Duo that it was him, not Relena, not anyone else, that Heero   
truly belonged with. Duo.  
  
I do love you, Duo, and I won't give up. I swear to you...  
  
Suddenly, Heero realized suddenly how expectant the silence seemed   
and shifted his focus to see Relena, head tilted quizzically.  
  
"Hn...?"   
  
Relena giggled, her hands gliding lower as she nuzzled at his cheek   
with her nose, "Silly Heero. I asked, do you know what today is?"  
  
"...April 8th?" Heero ventured, a sinking feeling in his chest. That   
date, sounding so innocent when he was safe in his apartment four   
years in the future, carried an ominous cloud.   
  
Relena beamed, eyes bright and glimmering with youthful love, "That's  
right! My birthday!"  
  
Shinigami... you fucking bastard.  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: See. Told you there was another chapter! ^_^()  
Thank you, Airen, Blackie and everyone one else who wished me an early  
happy birthday! IchigoPocky, I can't believe you noticed I took that   
line out! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy ^_^*  
Well, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Thank you for all your   
yummy feedback, and please continue feeding the muses!  
And thank you to everyone who has dropped me an Instant Message!  
My screenname is: Saseko Kainashi ...feel free to poke me with a   
stick because I'm all bored and lonely! Yay!  
For those of you keeping track, I'm still sick.  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   



	4. Birthday Tears

LSE // 6-28-03   
(Last Chance - Birthday Tears)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Birthday Tears  
  
-  
  
A thousand-year old, intricately designed, priceless vase hurled   
through the air to shatter against hand-painted, dry-brush cream   
walls and rain down porcelain shards on Heero's head. Cautiously, he   
opened his eyes and peeked over the edge of the end table he was   
crouched behind only to duck back down as a hand-blown glass sculpture  
flew to the same fate. For a devoted pacifist and pampered rich girl,   
Relena had a damn good throwing arm when properly pissed off.  
  
"My BIRTHDAY, Heero," she screamed, "is suppose to be filled with   
cake and presents and special birthday sex with my BOYFRIEND!"  
  
"Relena...!" Heero abandoned his cover as an embroidered pillow   
bounced off his head; she'd narrowed in on her target, and he wanted   
to avoid being killed by a flying vase.  
  
Tears streaming down her cheeks, Relena threw one last domestic   
missile (a silver-framed hand mirror, which crashed against the bed,   
only mere inches from Heero's wide-eyed face) before giving a long   
wail and sinking to the floor. In the sudden calm, pierced only by   
Relena's broken sobbing, Heero could clearly hear the frantic   
whispering from the maids, drawn like flies to carrion as they   
clustered in the hall.  
  
"How -- could -- you," Relena cried, all her fury replaced by   
heartbreak, "on -- my -- birthday..."  
  
Obviously, Relena wasn't taking Heero's rejection nicely. He had   
tried to save her feelings and let her down slowly, and he even waited  
until after breakfast (in bed...) but, still... Heero wondered how   
long he should delay before leaving to find Duo. He looked to his   
watch and the glowing numbers; 67:32:03:46 and going. Sixty-seven   
hours, thirty-two minutes.   
  
"Relena," Heero ventured, trying to think of something to say that   
would stop her tears and let him get away. "I'm sorry?"  
  
Wounded blue eyes, wet with tears, stared at Heero in disbelief.   
"You're sorry?" Relena asked, one hand scrubbing away tears from her   
cheeks. Heero nodded slowly. "Oh, Heero, I'm sorry, too," Relena   
gushed, and he didn't see her hand close over the silver hair brush.  
  
"So..." Heero glanced to the door, wondering if he could leave yet.  
  
"On my birthday," Relena insisted, taking careful aim. Heero looked   
up just in time to see a flash of silver before impact, and then   
there was nothing but black.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Heero, Heero, Heero. What am I going to do with you?"  
  
Turning slowly, Heero found himself in a simple, unfamiliar room with   
no idea of how he'd gotten there. Looking smugly at him was a young   
man with light brown hair and black eyes... "Shinigami? Oh, fuck.   
Relena killed me, didn't she?"  
  
The God laughed, "No, Heero, you're just dreaming. Have a seat, take   
a load off, enjoy the subconscious."  
  
"Dreaming?" Heero ignored the offer and remained standing.   
  
Shinigami tapped the side of his head, "Ker-plunko, Heero. That girl   
has good aim. And the rest of her isn't that bad, either. Nice ass,   
if a bit on the small side. Same goes for the breasts. Good choice,   
Heero. Bad timing, though. Tsk, tsk, way to ruin a girl's birthday."  
  
"You bastard!" Heero lunged himself at the God, fingers closing over   
his throat. He refused to consider the fact that one did not kill a   
God, much less the God of Death. That wasn't very important.  
  
Heero soon found himself choking thin air, though, and lost his   
balance, falling into the armchair. Whirling angrily around to glare   
at Shinigami, who was laughing from his position on the sofa, Heero   
spat out a death threat. Shinigami only laughed harder.  
  
"Don't waste your time, Heero," Shinigami said with one last snicker.   
  
"Hn," he said sullenly.   
  
Shinigami tilted his head to one side, watching Heero with a bemused   
expression, "I bet you're thinking how evil I am, sending you back on   
this day of all the others."  
  
Cobalt eyes glared in response.  
  
"Indeed. Well, Heero, it's not my fault! I simply chose a date I felt   
would have significant meaning to you. Think, Heero, what else   
happened on April 8th?" Endlessly black eyes twinkled with restrained   
malice and mischief.  
  
"..."  
  
Shinigami leaned in with a wide, I-know-something-you-don't-know grin   
in place, "Heero, think. When did you first meet Duo?"  
  
"...Christ."  
  
"Nah, I don't do the whole 'crusifixtion-resurrection' thing."   
  
Startled, Heero sat back with wide eyes, "What?"  
  
The God laughed, "Nothing. See, Heero? I picked the anniversary of   
your first meeting with Duo. How romantic of me! Oh, but wait, you   
rejected Duo for that Peacecraft's girls narrow ass and small breasts!  
Tsk, tsk, Heero!"  
  
"...I have to wake up and accomplish my mission. Get out of my head."  
  
Shinigami sighed deeply, the grin disappearing. "Free advice Heero;   
stop thinking that way."  
  
"What way?"  
  
"Enjoy consciousness, Heero. And, good-luck. You'll need it,"   
Shinigami said, wide grin back in place. And everything went black.  
  
It took him a full minute to realize that his eyes were closed. He   
opened them and found fuzzy shapes of blue, cream and gold above him.   
Blinking slowly, Heero watched the shapes sort themselves out into   
Relena's face, peering worriedly down at him.  
  
"Oh, Heero!" she cried, seeing he was awake, "I'm so sorry! Are you   
alright, love?" she tenderly patted his forehead with a damp cloth.  
  
"Hn," he said warily, searching her innocent-seeming face for some   
indication of intent. He fully expected either more tears or more   
screaming, and he wasn't sure which was the lesser of the evils.  
  
Relena kissed his cheek, breaking into a bright smile, "Do you want   
to eat cake or open presents now? The guests won't be arriving for   
another hour, so if you wanted..." her voice trailed off and she   
giggled, her meaning evident. "If your head doesn't hurt too much,   
that is," she added thoughtfully.  
  
Wait. Wait. Smiles? "Relena..."  
  
"Yes, love? It's chocolate cake."  
  
"No, wait, Relena..."  
  
She giggled, kissing his nose, cheeks, lips, "You know, I have a   
present for you, Heero. Do you want to open it now?"   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hours later, ears still ringing from Relena's shrieks and wails,   
Heero found himself staring hopelessly at a computer terminal and a   
listing of all the Duo Maxwells on the limited, civilian-friendly   
database. A few keystrokes bypassed the minimal security, and added   
three more listings to the hundred-fold clan of Maxwells. And this   
was assuming Duo hadn't bothered to set up an alias, or remove himself  
from the database.  
  
Narrowing the search by age, Heero was left with...  
  
...none. Square one. Worse than, actually.  
  
62:40:57:25  
  
It had taken a while to pry himself from Relena's clutches. First,   
she made him attend the party, wailing about her image and the misery   
of him choosing that day above all others. Then dinner with foreign   
representatives. Then convincing her he really was leaving. Then   
packing amidst her tears and furies.  
  
Time was running out, and he couldn't even locate Duo. No. He had,   
after all, just started looking. Nimble fingers flew over the keys as   
the minutes, then hours, ticked by. Something was wrong. Either Duo,   
paranoid after the war, had set up massive precautions, or... Or what?  
Duo simply didn't exist anymore? Was this another of Shinigami's   
twisted jokes?  
  
"Oh, yes, Heero, didn't I tell you? This is an alternate reality   
where Duo has been replaced by a penguin. You must teach the penguin   
to waltz before he can turn back into Duo. And Relena is the judge of  
well you're waltzing. Good luck."  
  
...  
  
Firmly slapping logic into his brain, Heero ignored the annoyed   
glares the librarian was shooting him and furthered his search.   
Skimming through news records from the L2 Colony cluster, he looked   
for anything of remote importance. Any scratch of knowledge, some   
wording, that gave indication Duo might have taken up residence there.   
  
He nearly missed it entirely. A small blurb of information, tacked   
carelessly on to the end of a report on street crime, an inter-office   
memo that got shuffled into the filing system by some careless   
employee of... Heero glanced to see whose files he was currently   
hacked into. Police department, vice squad? That explained the crude   
language of the memo then.  
  
"Fuck Gumduns."  
  
Either the writer of the memo couldn't spell, or Heero had found   
nothing of importance. He slowed his frantic skimming and searched   
through the attached files carefully, looking for anything to justify   
the could-be-misspelled reference to Gundams. "Aha!" he breathed   
aloud, noting something he could finally make use of. A run-down of   
confiscated goods from recent arrests in connection to a... drug bust?   
  
With a flash of mingled irritation and concern, Heero started to   
close out of the file with a scoffed "Drugs?" but hesitated, then   
stared at one line of text. Gold cross. And the line was marked out   
with an angry slash of red pen, the writer vehemently declaring the   
same rage the memo was written in. In theory, then, Duo reclaimed his   
cross from the police and, in doing so, angered them greatly.  
  
The Colony's attempt at reform might mean Duo would be on recorded, at  
least, in some form. Hacking deeper into the system (and further   
ignoring the librarian's annoyance with him occupying one of the   
public-access computers for so long) and dragging forth file after   
file, it didn't take Heero long to turn up something. John Doe number   
twenty-three (no name? no finger prints? Heero frowned. Clearly the   
reform attempts weren't very serious.) described as...  
  
There. Unmistakable. Long braid. Brown hair. Purple eyes. Teen.  
  
With a wicked grin of satisfaction that caused those around him to   
edge away nervously, Heero knew he'd found solid enough proof that,   
at some point, Duo had been on Colony. Involuntarily, his eyes widened  
as the file suddenly changed, the archive system being introduced to   
updated data. Before him sat a new date into the arrest log.  
  
An hour ago, John Doe number twenty-three had been arrested for...  
  
"May I help you with anything, sir?" the librarian asked, finally   
getting up the nerve to directly confront him.  
  
Before the nosey woman could catch sight of the screen, however, Heero   
deftly closed out and sent the computer into reboot. With a grim shake   
of his head, silently cursing the woman for preventing him from   
reading the rest of the charges (resisting arrest and assaulting an   
officer were as far as he got), he strode out from the library.  
  
He knew where Duo was. Something akin to... giddiness... filled him,   
twisting the end of the mouth into an involuntary smirk. Gotcha,   
Maxwell. No way there could be enough coincidences to justify what   
he'd found not relating to Duo.   
  
Flicking his arm out, Heero stared down at the numbers, which glowed   
up at him with a strange smugness.  
  
58:03:36:20  
  
...  
  
Four hours? No wonder the librarian had stared at him like that. Not   
that he cared, because he'd finally found Duo. His elation faded,   
however, when his stunned brain finally computed the math. Fourteen   
hours since he'd started. He remembered quite clearly swearing to be   
at Duo's doorstep in twelve hours. A shuttle to L2 would take another   
four or five hours, not counting getting himself to the 'port...   
  
Spirits sunk low, Heero subjected himself to a few minutes of deserved  
self-pity before shaking free and recalling exactly what lay on the   
line. This was a mission to save Duo's life. If he failed, Duo was   
dead forever, and it would be his fault. He couldn't fail. Failure   
was just not an option.  
  
I'll find you, Duo, he swore. I'll show that cocky S.O.B. Shinigami.  
  
Failure was not an option.  
  
58:23:17:34  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: Yeah, so I died. Whee. Go me. Let's not talk about it.  
Or why I never finished that AU I was suppose to write for that   
contest. Or why I'm single. See, funniest thing. I couldn't work on   
this story for a long time (most of May) because, well, I sympathized   
with Relena too much. And that's a dangerous thing for me. Then I   
wrote this original story. Then I went to camp and...  
yeah. The muses abandoned me in my days back from camp. Traitors.  
BUT!  
None of that matters, because here I am, and I seem to be doing okay   
with the muses and I have a coherent idea of where the story's at and   
where it's going. Shouts out to Ebony, Kate, Holly, D, Sara and all   
the other girls. Everyone who pleaded and begged for me to continue   
this story, thanks. Hopefully all my FFN and MMorg readers haven't   
forgotten me.  
Also, my one-year anniversary (July, 12th) at FFN and in the world of   
GW fanfiction is approaching. I'm really amazed at how far I've come   
and how great everyone has been. Thanks, guys. Really. I don't think   
I could have made it to here without everyone's support and praise.   
I don't want to ramble, but this is important to me. Thank you. I can   
only offer more chapters and stories, and my continued gratitude.  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	5. Rejected

LSE // 6-29-03   
(Last Chance - Chapter Five: Rejected)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Rejected  
  
-  
  
Artificial night had firmly claimed the colony by the time Heero's   
brisk walk delivered him in front of the police station. The building   
created a small shield of protection from the filth and crime known   
to the L2 colonies, which Heero had seen much of on the walk from the   
shuttle port. Staring up at the brightly lit station, Heero hesitated  
before walking up the steps and inside.  
  
"...INNOCENT!" shrieked a young woman with bubble gum-pink hair and   
several piercings, struggling against the two cops that held her. "I   
never touched the guy!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, sugar, you never got that far, did you?" replied one of   
the men, dragging her into another room where the door firmly shut on   
her yelled protests.  
  
Eyebrows raised more at the lack of interest shown in those around   
him at the occurrence (which, in retrospect, Heero realized must be a   
fairly regular and normal happening) than for anything else. The   
bored-looking female officer behind the desk yawned and took a sip of   
her coffee, peering blearily down into the dark depths even as Heero   
approached. She still ignored Heero when he cleared his throat, then   
growled and glared, then started tapping his fingers on the desk.  
  
With a drawn-out sigh, the woman finally lifted her eyes and grumbled   
out, "What?" with another yawn.  
  
He opened his mouth to reply, then paused. How was he going to ask   
about a John Doe? He should of thought about this more. Hacked the   
system again, and set himself up with false ID. Or a plausible   
excuse. If he knew what Duo was in for... Aware he had broken more   
laws in the past eight hours than the past eight months, Heero chose   
the safer, albeit slower, path of legality. Then again, this was an   
L2 colony...  
  
"What?" the cop sighed, staring at him with heavy-lidded eyes.  
  
"I'm here to see someone. A prisoner."  
  
"Whatever," she grumbled, gesturing vaguely to a set of doors guarded   
by a fierce-looking man in... riot gear?  
  
Surprised, but grateful for the apathetic views of authority, Heero   
walked over to the doors and, when the man made no move to stop him,   
went through. Beyond he found a series of panels and monitors   
enclosed in plexiglass situated next to a long corridor, with two   
more intimidating guards at either end. Strangely, he could hear no   
shouts or calls of the prisoners.   
  
Bewildered by the near-complete lack of security, Heero approached the   
desk and stared at the two men inside the cubicle, one of which stared  
back in expectation. Inspiration struck and, fueled by the aura of   
bored indifference that surrounded all the officers he'd seen so   
far... "I'm here to see my client," Heero said, inflicting the same   
tone of 'whatever.'  
  
"Yeah, okay. Who?" one of the men asked, looking back to his monitor.  
  
"One of these guys can afford a lawyer?" muttered the other guard in   
sullen disbelief, but neither asked to see an sort of identification.  
  
"I wasn't told a name," Heero said loftily, struggling to remember   
the details of the arrest log. "Cell A34."  
  
"Fine," the guard replied, sliding a 'visitors' tag through the slot   
in the plexiglass.   
  
"Damn drug dealers, hooking up with lawyers. Just what this world   
needs," whispered the other guard with a grim smile. His partner shot   
him a look of warning and waved Heero on with a look that clearly   
said 'move or die.'  
  
If this is what they call reform... Heero thought, attaching the tag   
to his shirt. He noted security scanners surrounding the doorway   
leading to the hallway and, looking over his shoulder, he noted a   
similar system over the door leading back to the station. Clever, and   
lazy. Corruption must walk hand-in-hand with the law through here.  
  
Eyebrows raised slightly upon seeing the prisoner cells. Seemless   
with the wall, doors lined the hallway in regular intervals, a small   
plexiglass window allowing limited sight into each cell. As Heero   
started walking, one of the guards fell into step behind him, clearly   
waiting to see which prisoner Heero wanted access to.   
  
Cell A34 was half-way down the row, identical to the doors on either   
side but for the emblazed ID number, etched into the steel of the   
reinforced door. Heero stopped before it and shot a 'get on with it'   
sort of glare to the guard, who merely looked bored in response   
before pressing his thumb to the plate beside the door. The plate, a   
small square of clear plastic, glowed green and a buzzing sound   
echoed up and down the hall, nearly drowning out the mechanical   
grinding noise of the door unlocking, then sliding open.  
  
Another door lay beyond, this one of thick plexiglass and perforated   
with holes to allow communication, and a narrow slot, big enough for   
a meal tray, near the bottom. Maybe security wasn't as lax as Heero   
thought it to be. The guard seemed content to stand there, offering   
zero privacy, and, beyond committing several major felonies and   
knocking the guard unconscious, then somehow breaking the   
plexiglass...  
  
"What the fuck?" came a muffled, yet distinct, voice from inside the   
cell, drawing Heero's attention back to the matter at hand. Duo.  
  
Sitting on the narrow slab of cement jutting from the wall that seemed  
to serve as a bed, was definitely Duo, no mistake. And those amethyst   
eyes were staring at Heero, impossibly wide, framed by a sweep of   
chestnut bangs and... bruises? A small cut graced Duo's right cheek,  
and a faded circle of blue-black enclosed one eye.   
  
Heero took in the rest of Duo's appearance. Patched, faded jeans with   
cuts and holes, too many to be made entirely for fashion, with a black  
tank top that had obviously seen better days. And that gold cross,   
lying exposed on his chest. Somehow, on Duo, the outfit made him look   
highly desirable. Or Heero was just...  
  
Besides the marks on his face, Duo bore other signs that life on the   
colony wasn't exactly posh hotels and room service. One, he was in a   
jail cell... and his hair was messy, the braid frazzled and nearly   
coming undone. And those bruises. They were too old to be blamed on   
the police. At least a day old.   
  
Suddenly, Duo laughed, a short bark of amazement, sliding off from the  
bed and walking over to lean against the plexiglass, still staring at   
Heero. "Well, well, well! Heero, what a dubious pleasure to see you.   
Where's the pink bitch?"  
  
"Earth."  
  
"Ah, sent her lackey, then? What the fuck do you want?" Duo punctuated   
his statement by kicking at the wall and glaring at the guard, Heero,   
wall, Heero...   
  
Heero stared in bewildered confusion at Duo, unable to make the   
connection between this angry, wrathful boy and the tragic,   
heart-broken Duo he would become. What had he been expecting, that   
Duo would be thrilled to see Heero, and immediately they could   
declare their love? Then Shinigami would return Heero to the present,   
future, whatever, with Duo alive...  
  
"Well?" Duo demanded, tossing his braid back over his shoulder and   
giving Heero a sullen glare.  
  
"Why are you here?" Heero asked, stalling for time, and aware of the  
guard just over his shoulder.   
  
"Oh, I dunno... maybe I got arrested? If you've come just to point and  
laugh at me, get the fuck out of here, I'm not interested."  
  
"What's your bail?"  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"Duo..."  
  
"Get. Lost," Duo growled, turning away from the wall and sulking back   
over to his bed, throwing himself on the thin pallet.  
  
Heero pressed his palm uselessly against the think partition, staring   
at the back of Duo's head with a rising disappointment. This wasn't   
going at all according to plan. Why was Duo acting this way?  
  
"Are you still there?" Duo turned his head, staring at Heero with a   
vague indifference. "...Guard!"  
  
"Duo."  
  
"GUARD!"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
A firm grip closed over Heero's shoulder, pulling him away as the   
steel door started to slide close. He offered no resistance beyond   
shaking off the man's hand and moving back himself, staring through   
the tiny window into the cell. "Get on," the guard said, gesturing   
back down the hallway.  
  
His mind struggled to recover from the shock of Duo being four years   
younger than he was use to, thrown in a jail, and significantly less   
than pleased to see Heero. Already, Heero found himself eyeing the   
security systems, plotting ways to... No, that wouldn't help anyone.   
Bail. He could just bail Duo out of here. He only needed...  
  
51:30:41:59  
  
Fifty-one hours... A little more than two days...   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Flashing the police office escorting him out a rude gesture, Duo   
emerged from the station not long after Heero's failed visit.   
Shrugging on his denim jacket, he grinned for a moment, looking up   
and down the street, before spotting Heero. The grin faded, replaced   
by a scowl, and Heero sighed. So much for hoping Duo would be in a   
better mood outside of jail than in.  
  
"Alright. I give up. What do you want?" Duo said, stuffing his hands   
into the pockets of the jacket and raising and eyebrow to Heero.  
  
Heero opened his mouth to reply, and found he didn't actually have an   
answer, or a clear idea of what to do next. Duo's foot tapped   
impatiently against the pavement, and Heero grabbed for something,   
anything. "I need a place to stay."  
  
Duo laughed, "Relena kick you out?"  
  
"...in a way, yes."  
  
The laughter abruptly stopped, Duo staring at him as if Heero had   
suddenly sprouted wings, or horns. Or both. Heero returned the gaze,   
silently imploring Duo to drop the facade of anger and... and what?   
Duo had every right to be pissed as hell with Heero. Only, there   
wasn't much time left, and Duo's life... Heero shuddered to think of   
returning to a place without Duo, knowing he could have prevented it.   
Could have saved Duo.   
  
"So. Little Miss Perfect and Mr. Perfect Soldier no more, hm? Aha.   
Very funny, Heero. You think you can just show up here and expect me   
to be your personal hotel? You got money. There are hotels."  
  
"I used it all on your bail. What did you do, anyway?"  
  
Duo continued to just stare at Heero, stuck between anger and   
amusement, and visibly struggling. "What's going on, Heero. What the   
fuck is this, some kind of joke? Why can't you just leave me alone?   
You find it funny, to see how far I've fallen, huh? You found me, you   
had to have seen... Yeah, proud Duo Maxwell, no longer a famous pilot,  
but just another street fuck, trying to earn a dollar peddling   
anything he's got."  
  
"Duo..."  
  
"No! God DAMMIT, Heero! Why are you doing this to me?! Damn you,   
Heero Yuy! Damn you!" Duo took a step forward, fists tightening at   
his sides, eyes wild with some unspoken emotion. Heero swallowed,   
determined to just stand there, even if Duo tackled him in rage. He   
deserved it. And, maybe, this was what Duo needed.  
  
Those eyes... Heero stared into the amethyst depths, hardly daring to   
hope he saw something more beneath the simmering surface of fury.   
Something more. Something he knew, by Duo's own words, should lie   
there, obscured by a seventeen-year-old's anger at having been   
carelessly tossed aside by his... soul mate. Heero could almost hear   
Duo's voice in his head, that sad, broken voice.  
  
//"I knew you were my soul mate. No one else could ever make me as   
happy as when I was with you."//  
  
"Duo, please..."  
  
"No, God dammit! I won't let you hurt me again!" The words hung   
between them, Duo's eyes going wide before he spun around, bolting   
down the sidewalk and shoving through the crowd in his haste.  
  
"Duo, WAIT!" Heero shouted, leaping into pursuit. Even this late into   
the night, the streets were moderately filled with an assortment of   
people, and Heero nearly lost Duo to the crowd. The soles of his shoes  
thudding against the pavement, matching the frantic rhythm of his   
heart. Duo...! There wasn't time for Heero to have to search the city   
for one boy, if he lost Duo. There just wasn't time!  
  
"Duo!"  
  
He turned, looking over his shoulder at Heero, before darting over a   
crosswalk which had just flashed green.   
  
"...DUO!"  
  
A car tried to race the red, tires squealing in protest as it   
barrelled around the corner. Duo skidded to a halt, frozen in the   
glare of the car's headlights. Roughly, Heero collided with Duo,   
shoving the stunned boy out of the way just before impact.  
  
Duo landed harmlessly on the pavement, well out of the car's path, and  
was only able to watch in horror as Heero bounced up the car's hood   
and into the windshield amid a shatter of glass. Brakes screamed along  
with pedestrians as the car spun to a stop, flinging the boy to the   
ground like a rag doll.   
  
"...Hee...HEERO!"  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: I was going to kill FFN, scream in fury, and generally  
be a very angry author. Then I realized the difference in 'story' and  
'poetry' formats means I no longer have to kill things. ^_^  
  
Just thought I'd add that. You'll notice the story is no longer messed  
up into a screwy force-formatting that ruins my entire style. Joy.  
  
Oh, and by the way, did I mention I'm evil?  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	6. So Close

LSE // 7-1-03   
(Last Chance - Chapter Six: So Close...)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
So Close...  
  
-  
  
"I'm so glad I chose you, Heero. I haven't had this much fun in ages.   
So, kindly don't go and ruin it for me by dying, hm?" the words were  
punctuated by a finger pressed to his forehead, tapping impatiently.  
  
Cobalt eyes snapped open.  
  
"Ah!" Shinigami beamed, dark eyes glittering with mischief, "Got your   
attention, didn't it?"  
  
"...I'm dead?"  
  
The face drew back from Heero's view as Shinigami burst into laughter,  
lightly flicking his finger against Heero's forehead. "No, you silly   
boy! Did you not hear anything I said? I refuse to let you die.   
Although, the irony would be simply too much. Hm. Maybe I'll change   
my mind after all. Maybe I can convince that cute blonde to take up   
the game in your place. Double or nothing!"  
  
"...Bastard."  
  
Shinigami gave a wide grin, "Indeed!"  
  
Suddenly, Heero frowned, realizing he was staring up at a stained   
ceiling that looked entirely too realistic. Turning his head, he   
found himself staring at Duo, head bowed as if sleeping. "Sh! Sh!"   
Heero whispered frantically to the cackling God of Death, "don't wake   
him!"  
  
Still chuckling, Shinigami rested a hand on Duo's head, "Who, him? He   
can't hear me. Or, for that matter you. See?" flashing Heero a grin,   
Shinigami raised back his hand and swung.   
  
Stopping in mid-scramble to prevent the God from slapping Duo, Heero   
stared as the hand went right through the sleeping boy's head.   
Tentatively, he reached out, alarmed to find that his hand, too, went   
right through Duo. "You liar! I AM dead!" Heero cried, whirling on   
Shinigami in a fury.   
  
"No, you're just unconscious. Or else you'd be in pain. Or something.   
Personally, I don't care. You missed a great show, Heero. That car so   
owned you three times to next Tuesday. Ker-SPLAT!" Shinigami giggled,   
a most alarming sound coming from the God of Death.   
  
"No, but seriously, thanks for that, Heero. It was surely the   
highlight of the century. Just when I think you've out done yourself,   
CRASH! A car! FLING! Your body goes flying! Duo, is saved and   
grateful! But, you were nighty-nighty for that portion of the drama.   
Still, good job. Couldn't have done it better myself. Of course, had   
I have done it, there would have been more fire and explosions."  
  
"Can I wake up, now?" Heero asked with a sigh, not bothering to look   
at the God but instead staring at Duo. Grateful? Duo was grateful?   
Then, did that mean Heero really was in Duo's apartment?   
  
"Oh, fine. I'd rather just sit here and relive seeing you bounce off   
that car again. Man, was that ever just the funniest thing..."  
  
With Shinigami's laugh echoing through his head, Heero found himself   
surrounded by darkness. Sinking down into a haze of pain, floating in  
an abyss without clear thought or direction. The pain faded, leaving   
nothing but that dim awareness of self. He could stay like this   
forever, without a care, without feeling, for all time. Time...  
  
Time!  
  
Unable to stop the moan from escaping as he woke and felt the return   
of feeling, and, with that, the pain.   
  
"...Heero?" came a soft voice to his side, a cool cloth being pressed   
to his forehead.  
  
Hardly daring to hope, Heero opened his eyes and found Duo's worried   
amethyst hues a few inches away. For a moment, neither spoke nor   
moved, frozen like that, lips hauntingly close. A kiss was part of   
the conditions. He could do it. Just a lift of his head.   
  
Abruptly, Duo sat back, a gentle touch lifting the cloth from across   
Heero's forehead as he did so. "How are you feeling?" Duo asked in   
the same soft tone, as if offering an unspoken apology for his earlier  
shouts and rage. His gaze dropped from Heero's, instead choosing to   
study the cloth in his hands.  
  
"Fine," Heero admitted truthfully. His head and shoulder ached   
fiercely, but nothing seemed broken, and the pain began to fade even   
as he spoke.   
  
"You didn't break anything," Duo explained needlessly, trying to fill   
the sudden silence. "And you weren't bleeding or something like that,   
so I just brought you here. Hospitals are really expensive... They   
won't even run an ambulance unless you can agree to pay for it."  
  
"Then, how did..."  
  
"I carried you," came the swift reply, a faint blush creeping across   
Duo's cheeks as he spoke. He rose from his chair, moving away from   
Heero almost nervously. "So... So, I'm glad you're okay. Thanks.   
For... for, you know," Duo cast a pained look at Heero, silently   
imploring him to understand.  
  
"No problem," he responded lightly, not needing Duo to elaborate. The   
boy seemed to have completely worked through his anger, but held oddly  
silent, sneaking glances to Heero as if expecting something. Looking   
around the apartment, Heero could guess at some of Duo's anxiety. The   
place was tiny. No bed, beyond the sofa Heero was laid out on, and   
hardly any furniture. Clothes scattered over the floor and draped   
over the solitary chair and the coat-rack crammed into the corner.   
Take out and pizza boxes stacked haphazardly amid the chaos. The only   
clear area of floor was a small path leading from the door to the   
sofa, and then from the sofa to a door Heero could only hope   
concealed a bathroom. There wasn't even a kitchenette.  
  
"Duo..."  
  
"Don't," Duo cut him off with a dangerous warning in his voice.   
"Don't even say it."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"That I should have borrowed money from Quatre, or, or you. Or,   
something. Don't even say it. Yeah, sure, I'm not proud of what I do,   
but it pays for this rat's nest and feeds me. I know the streets, and   
they know not to mess with me."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Heero asked, sitting upright and staring  
at Duo in genuine bewilderment.  
  
"You know what I mean. I got caught, didn't I? Bastard under-cover   
cops. You think they'd have better things to do than waste my time!"  
  
Heero shook his head, slowly, not wanting to anger his headache   
anymore than necessary. He had no idea what Duo was talking about,   
but he could guess. "Duo, what have you gotten yourself into?"   
  
"Heero!" Duo cried in exasperation, "You read the stupid police   
report, didn't you? I'm a fucking whore, Heero. There. I said it.   
A whore. Are you happy, now? Don't give me that look. Oh. Oh, shit.   
You really didn't know?" Duo laughed weakly, sitting back in the chair  
and burying his head in his hands, "Dammit. I thought you knew."  
  
In his mind, he could see Duo, four years later, explaining. Half   
angry, and half broken; bitter, hurt and confused. //Nothing, Heero,   
nothing could take away the pain of losing you. Sex, drugs, alcohol,   
wild parties with all three combined; anything, everything, to just   
stop thinking.//   
  
"Duo..."  
  
"Shut up," Duo mumbled without any real anger, sounding merely worn   
out and frustrated. "Just... shut up, Heero. Damn you. None of this   
was a problem...!" Duo knocked the chair back in his haste to stand,   
getting tangled in the clothes lying on the floor. Quickly, Heero   
grabbed Duo's hand and, pulling the boy from his fall, sent him  
tumbling harmlessly to the sofa.  
  
Again, Heero found himself face-to-face with wide amethyst eyes and   
soft, kissable lips. "Damn you, Heero. Stop confusing me like this,"   
Duo whispered with a ghosted smile. Somehow, they had shifted closer,   
eyes still locked. Duo's arm loop over his neck, and Heero circled   
his arm around the other boy's waist, drawing him even closer until   
Duo was perched on his lap.  
  
Foreheads touched, softly, and Duo's breath tickled on Heero's lips...  
  
"Duo, I..."  
  
BRING! BRING!  
  
Both boys jumped, the fragile moment shattering with the doorbell's   
insistent ring. As Duo rose to kick aside empty boxes and make his way  
to the door, Heero finally looked to the watch secured over his wrist.  
The surface was scuffled and scratched, but the numbers still glowed   
as the spun, counting down towards the end of his three days.  
  
47:28:03:19  
  
Heero blinked in surprise. He'd only been unconscious for a little   
over three hours? Then... it was early morning. Just slightly under   
twenty-four hours since he'd started, and with almost two days left.   
  
"...are you doing here?" the words were nearly lost in a yawn, Duo   
standing before the door, still held by the chain and just barely   
opened enough to pass words through.   
  
"Whatever. I heard you got busted! What'chu doing here, then? Got a   
sugar in blue? Got 'm in there with ya?"   
  
"No, just... a friend. Look, not today. I just want to sleep. It's   
eight in the morning, Noel. What are you even doing here this early?"   
  
"Just coming off work, what else? Whatever. You snooze, you lo... hey!  
He's a hottie!" the girl on the other side of the door cried, having   
caught sight of Heero. "C'mon, lemme in, I wanna meet 'm. He   
interested in a three? Or even just a two," she giggled.  
  
"No. He's off limits."  
  
"He your friend, or is he your cop daddy? Hey! C'mon, Dee, I'm just   
messing around. Christ, you're such a grump in the morning! Don't   
glare at me that way. Fine. See ya 'round, Dee. I have better things   
to do than be GLARED at all day! Hmph!"  
  
Closing the door firmly, Duo rested his forehead against the smooth   
wood with a tired sigh. After a moment, he turned around, a wry smile   
in place and clearly not wanting to discuss his friend. "So. You   
crashing here, then? I guess you can take sofa," Duo looked dubiously   
at the floor, kicking the carpet with his foot as if expected a bed   
to appear magically.   
  
"No, I'll take the floor," Heero said quickly, jumping up from the   
sofa to prove his point.  
  
"No, you just got hit by a fucking car. Take the sofa."  
  
"It's your place."  
  
"Did you suffer brain damage?"  
  
"I'll sleep on the floor."  
  
"Fine. So will I."  
  
"No, you take the sofa!"  
  
"Heero!"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
Deep in an exchange of mutually heated glares, Duo suddenly cracked   
a grin and, to his surprise, Heero returned it. They stood there   
trying not to laugh at the sheer idiocy of the situation, and   
failing miserably. "Okay, fine," Duo said, for the first time   
giving a standard Maxwell-grin, eyes shining with some unknown   
joke, "we'll both take the floor! Screw the sofa. It's not that   
comfortable anyway."  
  
"Okay, fine," Heero echoed, staring in fascination at the grin on   
Duo's face, and marvelling at everything was coming together. He   
could see something, just this side of the amusement in Duo's eyes,   
some shade of what he knew should be there. Some echo of what Heero   
felt in his heart.   
  
It seemed so simple now. All he needed to do is kiss Duo. And get Duo   
to admit... but, he knew, by Duo's own words. And by that occasional   
glimmer of emotion in those amethyst depths, he knew.  
  
And he still had two days left.  
  
The sofa being ignored, Duo dragged the cushions off from it and   
tossed one to Heero. And, before Heero could object or comment, the   
sheet and the blanket followed. "Good... morning, I guess. Night.   
Whatever. Sleepy time!" Duo said, curling on the floor and dragging a   
trench coat over as a sheet.  
  
Heero waited until he was sure Duo had fallen asleep before gently   
prying the coat off from the sleeping boy and replacing it with his   
own blanket, pulled from the sofa. Carefully, so as not to wake him,   
Heero brushed the bangs back from Duo's forehead. "Sleep well, baka,"   
he whispered, spreading out, head near Duo's, but stretched out in   
the opposite direction.  
  
"...Heero," came the sleepy reply, a murmur from Duo as the boy   
snuggled around his sofa cushion.  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: I have nothing really to say. It's that point where   
I'm just chugging back vanilla coke like frantic, trying to reach the   
end of the story. ^_^  
  
Really. I can't think of anything. I'm thrilled everyone seems to   
enjoy the story so far!  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	7. And Yet So Far

LSE // 7-24-03   
(Last Chance - Chapter Seven: ...And Yet So Far)  
rated: PG13 - language, content  
shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
...And Yet So Far  
  
-  
  
"...keep your voices down. You're going to wake him."  
  
"Him? Who--"  
  
"Shhhh!"  
  
"C'mon. Wake up. You're missing all the good stuff!"  
  
"...Shinigami?" Heero muttered, opening his eyes and finding himself   
staring at a vaguely familiar ceiling. It took him several minutes to   
register the ceiling belong to Duo's apartment and that something was   
jabbing him in the back. Most likely a shoe, by the feel of it.   
Sitting up, he noticed a distinct lack of the God of Death (maybe   
he'd just dreamed the voice...) and of Duo. Twisting his head around,   
Heero blinked to clear sleep from his eyes and confirmed Duo was not   
in the small apartment.   
  
His momentary panic faded, however, when he heard the soft, muffled   
voices from the hallway.  
  
"...last night!"  
  
"I TOLD you already, they busted me!"  
  
That was Duo.  
  
"I don't CARE!"  
  
Heero didn't know who that was.  
  
"Shh!"  
  
"Don't you--"  
  
"SH!"  
  
Smack.  
  
Scrambling to his feet and somehow avoiding being tripped on the   
debris, Heero reached the partially-opened door and all but tumbled   
out into the hallway. Quickly, his eyes fell on Duo and, seeing the   
red, vaguely hand-shaped mark on his face, whirled to the other man   
in the hallway in a fury. The man cocked an eyebrow, looking to Duo   
and then back to Heero, with smug arrogance.  
  
Before Heero could pound the man's face in for hitting Duo, the   
braided boy in question was trying to shove him back into the   
apartment. "Heero! You're awake! Here, here, sorry we woke you, why   
don't you order take-out? The phone should be somewhere."  
  
"He paying?"  
  
"Shut up, Ys," Duo muttered, a hot blush rising to his cheeks.   
Gently, but forcefully, Heero moved around the boy, determined to   
knock the man who had hit Duo around.  
  
"No, Heero!"  
  
"Let me go, Duo."  
  
The man laughed, watching Heero with a mixture of amusement and   
curiosity. "Is this your way of saying you don't need me no more,   
Dee? I suppose you could always go back to--"  
  
"Shut UP, Ys!" Duo made the mistake of whirling to face the man,   
releasing Heero's arm. "HEERO!"  
  
With a satisfying THUNK, his fist connected solidly with the man's   
nose, bone crunching. The man let out a howled profanity, kicking   
Heero off and tossing his head, sending blood streaking across the   
wall and ceiling. Just as he lunged out to retaliate, Duo interjected  
himself between the two, trying to avoid further blows but, instead,   
caught the punch meant for Heero.  
  
"Duo!" he caught the boy and, shooting glares to the man, edged back.   
The American hung almost limp in his arms, head tilted back to expose   
a bruise and a cut on the crest of one pale cheek. The man, Ys,   
laughed harshly, and Heero only barely resisted the urge to tackle   
him... barely. The sight of the man's bloodied and broken nose   
appeased Heero enough.  
  
"Let that be a lesson, eh? Tell Dee I'll be back soon. He better be   
ready," the man threatened, turning and stalking off down the hall.   
Heero glared heatedly at the man's retreating back before scooping   
Duo into his arms and carrying him back into the apartment.   
  
"C'mon, Duo, wake up," Heero murmured, setting the boy down on the   
couch gently and patting the unbruised cheek cautiously. Fortunately,   
Duo moaned slightly and opened his eyes, brushing away Heero's   
concern as he sat up, tendering touching the swelling, bruised cheek.   
Breathing a sigh of relief, Heero reluctantly sat back on his heels,   
waiting for Duo to explain.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that. Now Ys'll be pissy," Duo sighed,   
running a hand through his bangs and casting a sideways look to   
Heero. "He doesn't mean it when he acts this way..."  
  
For a moment, it felt as if Heero's heart stopped. Somehow, he   
managed to keep a straight face as he asked, "Is he your...   
boyfriend?"   
  
Duo looked away, "No. Not really. I mean, no, he's just... Ys is...   
Damn you, Heero. Everything was so much simpler before you showed up!   
Ys and I run the same street. We watch out for each other, you know?   
It's rough out there. You can't work alone. He watches my back and I   
watch his. He's tough, and has the connections. No one'll mess with   
you if they know Ys'll be the one paying a visit after."  
  
"I'm going to kill him."  
  
"Heero!"  
  
"He hits you," Heero said bitterly, lifting a hand to gently touch   
the side of Duo's face. He traced over the fresh cut, and then the   
older, fading bruises that marked the other eye. "No one should ever  
hit you, Duo. No one."  
  
"I need him. I can't run the streets alone," he answered softly, but  
without real conviction. Heero's hand remained against his cheek, and  
Duo leaned softly into it with a sigh.   
  
"Simple. Don't work that way anymore."  
  
The soft gaze was broken suddenly by Duo's sharp laugh, "What else   
am I going to do, Heero? Didn't you hear, I'm a whore. Besides,   
that's all there is on L2. You're either somebody or a nobody, and   
nobodies either steal or fuck for a living. Stealing is a bigger   
crime than prostitution around here, and I don't want to be in jail."  
  
"Then leave L2."  
  
"And go where? This is my home, Heero. It might be the shit of the   
universe, but it's mine."  
  
"You deserve better, Duo," he said softly, lowering his hand from   
Duo's cheek and moving to sit next to him on the sofa. Eyes intent on   
the other boy's face, he took up Duo's hand and clutched it to him.   
"You deserve so much better. You are better than this," he whispered,   
kissing the back of Duo's fingers.  
  
"Hee...Heero?"  
  
Drawing Duo toward him by the hand, Heero trailed light kisses up the   
length of the boy's arm. His other hand went around Duo's waist,   
pulling Duo close as he rested his chin on the other's shoulder with   
a sigh. "I just want to give you what you deserve, Duo."   
  
"...Heero," Duo murmured softly, parting enough to stare into the   
Japanese youth's serious cobalt gaze.   
  
The sudden crashing open of the door shattered the moment, Duo   
jumping around to stare at the other end of the apartment while Heero   
sagged with a sigh. So close! Slowly, he shifted his gaze away from   
Duo, and felt his blood boil seeing who stood in the doorway.  
  
"Ys," Duo said, questioningly, standing and moving away from Heero   
and the couch.   
  
The man's dark eyebrows rose in silent reaction to how the two had   
been positioned, but Ys held his tongue from comment. "Ready, Dee?   
Or, is it Duo? Your friend there..."  
  
"To you it's Dee," the American snapped, a slight flush rising to his   
cheeks. Cautiously, Heero stood and eyed Ys with suspicion, ready to   
get rid of the man... for good, this time. Duo and Ys stared at each   
other for a long time before Duo sighed and turned to Heero, "I've   
got to go."  
  
"What? No, stay here," Heero protested, lowering his voice. "You don't  
need him, Duo."  
  
"You got money for food and rent?" Duo shot back. "I don't get you.   
You suddenly want to play savior and take care of me and get me to   
drop everything I'm doing? I have plans, Heero, and a life, and I was   
doing just fine without you! I don't need you. You can't just expect   
to walk into my life again have everything go back to how it was."  
  
Before Heero could respond, he turned on a heel and walked over to Ys,  
glaring up at the taller man. "And you! Don't command me like I'm your  
whipped-puppy bitch. We have an agreement. As equals, got it?"  
  
Ys nodded, "Right, Dee. Sorry I lost my temper, eh? Let's go."  
  
Duo paused in the doorway, shooting a suddenly doubtful look towards   
Heero, but Ys called from the elevator and he ducked out without a   
word. Unable to do anything more than stand there stupidly, Heero   
stared for a long time at the empty doorway. He didn't get it. One   
minute Duo seemed responsive, the next he was being yelled at. He   
had a sinking feeling he was going to need all the time he had left...  
  
Time. Oh, shit, the time.  
  
Without even bothering to check his watch, Heero ran out of the   
apartment, skidding down the steps two, three, four at a time. He   
couldn't let Duo go off on a night of... of... The full implications   
hit Heero hard, making him nearly trip over the steps. Strangers.   
Perfect strangers. With Duo. His Duo.   
  
Unfortunately, Ys and Duo were long gone from the lobby by the time   
Heero reached it. The elevator might have been faster... no time for   
that! He nearly ran into the doors before remembering to pull, not   
push. Bursting out to the sidewalk, Heero looked wildly around...  
  
To see a car driving off, and just Ys standing there.  
  
"What? You?" the other man glanced towards the retreating car, then   
back at Heero. "What do you want?"  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
Almost nervously, Ys glanced out to the street before reluctantly   
looking to Heero without saying anything. Brushing a hand over his   
spiky blonde hair, the man smirked at Heero and finally replied,   
"Where's who?"  
  
Closing the distance between them with only a few strides, Heero   
grabbed the other man by the shirt and slammed him up against a   
street light. "Where. Is. Duo?"  
  
"Ah-h!"  
  
Heero ducked the thrown punch and released the man's shirt, but   
shoved him back against the pole when he tried to move away. Ys pushed  
back, and they dissolved down into an all-out brawl, Heero eventually   
pinning the other man to the sidewalk. Ignoring the throb of his eye,   
which was no doubt bruising up rapidly, thanks to a lucky swing from   
Ys, Heero growled out his question once more.  
  
"Alright, alright! I gave him away."  
  
"You WHAT?!" Heero let Ys's head fall to the cement and sat back on   
his heels, staring at the man in disbelief. "You gave him away?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I owed these guys some money, right? Dee got busted with  
a full night's run on him... they were gonna break my knees! So, yeah,  
I gave 'em Dee. Why do you call him Duo, anyway?"  
  
"..."  
  
Ys got to his feet warily, eyes intent on the murderous rage creeping  
over Heero's face. "Look, man, it's just a few days... I mean, I   
think so, I asked for him back 'ventually. Damn, I should have..."   
the sentence broke off as Ys edged further back, glancing helplessly   
up and down the abandoned street.   
  
Slowly, Heero stood.  
  
"Hey. Calm down. It's just a few days!"  
  
"Omae o korosu."  
  
Ys didn't have to understand Japanese to read the glittering malice   
in the enraged Heero's eyes. One, two, three steps backwards, then   
the man turned and took off running. Without hesitation Heero sprung   
into action, sneakers pounding off the cement as he gave chase,   
rapidly closing the distance. Suddenly, a car pulled around the   
corner and stopped at the end of the street, one of the doors popping  
open as Ys reached it.  
  
"...bastard!" Heero swore, slowing to a stop as the door closed and   
the car started to pull away. "Dammit! God DAMMIT!"  
  
"No, but I could try."  
  
Spinning around so hard he nearly fell over, Heero found himself   
staring at a smirking Shinigami, leaning up against the street light.   
"Hey there, Heero. How's it going?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Woah, woah, watch it with that glare. Geesh, I'm just being   
conversational."  
  
With a sigh, Heero hung his head in defeat and turned away, starting   
to trudge his way back to the apartment. He had no idea where Duo   
could be, or even if... Ys, that bastard! I'll kill him, Heero swore,  
I will kill him.  
  
"Aw, don't look so down." Shinigami pushed off from the post and   
hurried after the retreating Japanese youth. Hands behind his head,   
Shinigami crossed in front of Heero and turned around to walk   
backwards, dark eyes serious for once. "I can promise you I had   
nothing to do with this. Except for the car. I couldn't have you   
committing murder, Heero, not with a police car just around the   
block."  
  
"Don't talk," Heero grumbled.  
  
"Fine. Then I guess I won't help you find Duo," the God of Death   
retorted in a wounded tone, turning around to face the proper way   
and walking quickly away from Heero.  
  
"Wait!" Heero lunged forward, grabbing at Shinigami's sleeve, "You   
know where Duo is?"  
  
"Maybe. Maybe not," he said in a sing-song voice, favoring Heero with  
a devious grin. When Heero merely glared in response, the God sighed,   
"Okay, okay, fine."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Staring down at the address carefully printed on his hand with a pen,  
Heero hardly registered the other passengers in the crowded train car  
as he took an empty seat. Just his luck the place Shinigami swore up   
and down held Duo had to be a two hour train ride away. With a sigh,   
Heero rested his head back against the chair and looked out the   
window as the train slowly started to pull away from the station.  
  
35:02:14:27  
  
For the first time, Heero felt a tremor of nerves looking at the   
rapidly changing numbers counting away the seconds and he suddenly   
found himself wondering... what if he failed?  
  
What if...  
  
No, he couldn't fail. "I will save you Duo," he whispered, watching   
the buildings of the city race by, "because I love you."  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: ARGH! THIS WAS SO HARD TO WRITE!! *breathe breathe*  
I'm soooo sorry for the huge delay. My muses completely died on me.  
I really am going to work super hard on finishing this before the   
month's up. It all depends on the muses. Please, feed the muses with   
lots of feedback!  
Thanks out to: Katie, Holly, Meg, Sara, D, Kate, Tia, Lisha, Cat and   
all the other girls for yelling at me to get off my butt and work on   
Last Chance... and then from keeping me from just giving up and   
deleting everything. ^_^  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	8. Beating Death

LSE // 8-17-03   
(Last Chance - Chapter Eight: Beating Death)   
rated: PG13 - language, content shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Beating Death  
  
-   
  
Rotting wood crossed over the door and precariously remained in tact   
by only a few rusty screws. Eyeing the faded and obviously abandoned   
warehouse with caution, Heero carefully slipped between the boards   
and into the gloom beyond. At his side, the numbers on the watch   
glowed faintly, and he hastily covered up that bit of light to avoid   
being seen if anyone was waiting. Moving deeper into the dusty room,   
Heero's eyes adjusted enough to reveal the vast emptiness of the   
warehouse, not so much as a single box held inside.  
  
"...Heero!"  
  
Whirling immediately towards the sound of the voice, it didn't take   
long for him to spot the slim figure standing over by the far wall.   
Running over, eyes searching for anyone else in the building, Heero   
noted with great relief the other boy did not seemed harmed in anyway.   
  
"Duo...!" he stopped himself from embracing the American, but just   
barely. Holding back at an arm's length, he scanned over the other's   
face, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, fine," Duo replied in a confused voice, tilting his head to   
one side quizzically. "What are you doing here, Heero?"  
  
"...I," Heero stared at Duo for a moment, then glanced out at the   
seemingly empty warehouse. "What are you doing here?"  
  
With a mock pout, Duo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back   
up the wall. "No fair, I asked you first." When Heero couldn't think   
of a coherent response, Duo frowned slightly and took a step forward,   
lifting a hand to caress down the Japanese youth's face. "How did you   
find me, Heero?" he asked quietly, moving even closer.  
  
Words failed him, and Heero was sure his heart was going to beat right  
out of his chest. Hardly daring to breathe, to hope, he met Duo's gaze  
and opened his mouth to respond...  
  
...and found Duo's lips over his, cutting off whatever words he might   
be ready to conjure. Recovering from his shock, Heero swept Duo into   
his arms, lengthening the kiss between them. All his fear, tangled   
with hope, he poured into the embrace, never wanting it to end. No   
kiss had tasted sweeter or meant so much to him, and not just because   
it was part of his mission. No, he missed Duo's warmth, the softness   
of the boy's lips.  
  
If ever before he had doubted any part of his love, that doubt was   
gone now as he held Duo with a desperation, never wanting to release   
the American. When they parted enough for words Heero found himself   
unable to speak, and only able to stare into Duo's eyes, willing it   
not to be a dream. Faces only inches apart, Heero longed to close that  
gap and resume the kiss, but something in Duo's expression stopped   
him. Not rejection, no, but something else that mad Heero's heart   
skip from a steady rhythm to a flutter. Something more.  
  
Finally, Heero found his voice however unsteady, "Duo... I..."   
  
Duo's soft lips parted almost imploringly, as if to speak, but closed   
to form a thoughtful ghost of a smile. Heero stared, forgetting what   
he had intended to say, transfixed by the beauty held in that smile.   
Amethyst eyes stared back at him, shimmering with...  
  
"Love. Duo, I love you," Heero tighten his grip on Duo, his own words   
echoing around in his head. "I love you."   
  
"I love you, too, Heero."   
  
For a moment, the world stopped. Heero braced himself, reflexively   
holding Duo closer as his mind slowly grasped the full extent of what   
had just happened. He had done it...!  
  
Endlessly black eyes stared back at him with silent laughter.  
  
Heero blinked, suddenly releasing the boy in his arms and taking a   
half-step back. Those eyes... Duo smirked. No, not Duo...  
  
"Your face, priceless!" Shinigami laughed, no longer the former   
Gundam pilot but the same dark-eyed, brown haired youth Heero was use   
to. "I'll remember it forever. 'Love! Duo, I love you!'" the God   
dissolved into giggles, collapsing to the cement floor. "Ahaha! Too   
priceless!"  
  
"...you bastard."  
  
"Yes, actually," Shinigami managed between laughs, beaming up at   
Heero as if expecting a cookie instead of...  
  
...Heero launched himself on top of the mirthful God, futilely trying   
to beat out his frustrations. As before, he found himself punching   
thin air as Shinigami appeared a little ways off, suddenly not looking  
so amused.   
  
"Hey! Lay off!" the God huffed with a haughty flick of his clothes,   
as if dispatching dust. "Is this the thanks I get, you ungrateful   
jerk?" Shinigami fumed, shooting Heero a vengeful look worthy of   
Death Glare status.  
  
"Thanks?!" Heero raged, picking himself off the ground and returning   
the glare in kind. "Thanks for WHAT? You send me back on Relena's   
birthday, of all the days, in her bed, of all places! You've done   
nothing but make this difficult for me since day 1! And now? Now you   
just pretended to be the man I love and wasted over four hours of my   
time! I don't have much time left, Shinigami, and I won't fail Duo.   
I can't fail him! So, I ask you, what should I thank you for?"  
  
"The chance, Heero," the God replied in an icy voice, all hint of   
mischief and humor gone, leaving only darker than black eyes without   
a hint of humanity or compassion. "There are no rules in a bargain   
with Death, Heero. If I so chose, the game could end here. No Duo, no  
chance, just you and your failure, and a cold dead body."  
  
Feeling as if he'd just been slapped across the face, Heero stared at   
the God in horror. "You... you wouldn't. You can't."  
  
Shinigami laughed without humor, a chilling sound that sent shivers   
down Heero's spine. "I can, Heero, oh but I can."  
  
The pronouncement hung between them until finally Shinigami turned   
away with an dismissing wave of his hand, "But I won't. Where would   
be the fun in that, beyond watching you scream like a little girl?   
There might not be any rules in this bargain, but I'll play it fair   
irregardless. I told you three days I'll give you three days."  
  
"Wait. Shinigami... is Duo here?"  
  
The God turned partially with a shrug, "Not anymore."  
  
"Do you know where he is? Please, no more of your tricks..."  
  
Dark eyes rose to meet Heero's pleading gaze, and Shinigami sighed,   
running a hand through his hair. "Actually, I do. Back where you were,  
Heero. 837 Capital street. I'm not promising he'll stay there long."  
  
"...Thank you," Heero said, once again all alone.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"...last stop. Thank you for traveling and have a nice day."  
  
Muzzily, Heero lifted his head from its place wedged between the   
window and the seat and peered around the abandoned train compartment.  
For several seconds he just stared, unable to comprehend why the train  
was not moving. Slowly, the reason dawned on him and Heero stumbled   
out from his seat, his exhaustion largely mental, instead of physical,  
despite having fallen asleep on the ride back.  
  
"Duo..." he sighed, moving through the crowd on the platform and   
towards the nearest exit. 837 Capital street. The address tugged at   
him, requesting to be recognized, but Heero could not think... No   
matter, he thought, side-stepping a transient and ignoring the cat   
calls from a cluster of prostitutes. Trusting Shinigami was his best   
bet at this time, even though so far everything going wrong could   
almost be directly linked to the God's interference.  
  
Heero neatly ignored the fact that without Shinigami he wouldn't even   
have this opportunity, too caught up in raging silently against that   
arrogant smirk.   
  
31:04:18:95   
  
Just a little over a day left. Heero stopped staring at the glowing   
numbers and quickened his pace, boots thudding a brisk rhythm against   
the cement. Plenty of time if he hurried.   
  
He nearly passed by the building, intent on silently cursing Shinigami  
in every language he knew. Stopping, Heero stared up at the   
nondescript building and the corresponding street address, 837 Capital  
street. Suddenly, Heero wished for a far more extensive vocabulary.  
  
The police station. The fucking police station.   
  
"I'm sick of your games, Shinigami," Heero growled as he turned on a   
heel and stalked away. From the shadows, the answering laugh confirmed  
his anger, but Heero declined to acknowledge the God's mirth.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
He woke from a dream in which he chased Duo and, when he finally   
caught the boy, the sound of a heart monitor flat lining drowned them  
both in darkness. Disorientated for a few brief, confused minutes,   
Heero recognized the sharp sound that had shaken him from sleep was   
still continuing. Gun shots, screams, the distant wail of sirens.  
  
Burying the whispered, lingering images from the dream, Heero rolled   
off the couch in Duo's apartment with a thud, a take-out box impaling   
his side. Gaining his feet, Heero moved through the mess and to the   
door still half-asleep, driven by curiosity. He stopped with one hand   
on the doorknob as the shots ended and the squeal of tires was just   
barely heard from out in the street.  
  
Heero stared down at his hand, still clutched around the doorknob.  
  
16:35:29:41  
  
He groaned aloud, leaning his head forward to contact solidly against   
the door with a reverberating thunk. With growing panic, he'd searched  
high and low for Duo until falling into restless sleep only a few   
hours ago. And he was at worse than square one. So much worse.  
  
The sirens, no longer distant, demanded Heero out into the hall and   
down into the lobby. Sudden, irrational fear gripped him as he walked   
outside and into the chaos. Crowds gathered, held back by worn-out   
looking officers, drawn by the same mutual curiosity. Just a few   
apartment buildings down, blood soaked cement and bullet-riddled   
walls spoke volumes for the gruesome crime committed. Needlessly,   
Heero caught the whisper from the crowd; a drive-by shooting.  
  
About to turn away, Heero stopped cold, eyes immediately snapping   
back to the crime scene and ambulance. More precisely, to the dead   
body on the gurney being loaded into the back of the vehicle. One the   
paramedics stepped aside, allowing Heero and the rest of the crowd a   
clear look.  
  
Eyes staring forever blankly upwards, Ys looked surprisingly calm in   
death. The paramedic absently zipped the body bag closed and Heero   
felt vaguely cheated, having been robbed the satisfaction of killing   
the man himself.   
  
Heero was already pushing the door open to go back up to the apartment  
when a woman's voice stopped him. "Hey! 'Chu that new hot thing of   
Dee's, right? His sugar in the blue? S'why you not helpin' 'em scrape   
Ys off the sidewalk?"  
  
Heero turned, leaning up against the doors and fixing a blank stare on  
the girl who bounced over. Literally. Her hair, curls twisted up into   
twin ponytails, quivered in rhythm to the girl's quick, light steps   
on precariously thin heels. And the rest of her looked ready to   
bounce out. Not that Heero was looking.   
  
"Hn?"  
  
The girl, Heero struggled to remember her name, was the same one that   
had showed up at Duo's... a day and a half ago. It seemed an eternity.  
  
"Said, 's'why you not helpin' 'em?'" the girl grinned, as if her   
question suddenly made sense once repeated. "'Chu a cop, right? S'why   
Dee got off his rap?"  
  
"No. I'm not a cop," Heero replied with strained patience. "Do you   
know where Du... Dee is?"  
  
"S'yah! 'Chu don't? 'splains why's he's still there. S'all over the   
street, ya know, 'n so now with Ys being swiss it'll be, like... stuff  
of legends or something like that. Christ, can't believe Ys did that,   
he must've been shootin'," she giggled.   
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Who? Ys? Oh, ya, Dee. 'Chu know? Locked up."  
  
Feeling as if he'd just been slapped, Heero gaped at her, "Locked up?   
As in... prison?"  
  
"S'yah! Since, like, yesterday when they busted 'm. I never knew Dee   
had that in him. All that, like, violence..."  
  
Wishing he understood more than just every other word of the girl's   
bubbling, annoying voice, Heero gritted his teeth and asked, "What   
happen?"  
  
Heavily mascara-coated lashes blinked, "He killed 'm."  
  
Boggled, Heero reflexively glanced over to the bloodied sidewalk,   
"Ys? Duo did that?!"  
  
"D-what? No, s'gang did that to Ys, 'cause of Dee. 'Cause, see, Dee,   
like, really didn't like being traded off like that, right? S'en he   
totally wigged out and killed those guys Ys traded 'm to. And the   
rest of 'em, that weren't there when Dee wigged, came over and gave   
Ys what," she spilled out with a beaming smile. One lid closed into a  
saucy wink, "'Chu busy, hot stuff?"  
  
"...Yes," Heero muttered, moving around her quickly. 837 Capital   
street. The bastard wasn't lying. To think, Duo had been there all   
along! Kicking himself for his stupidity, Heero hardly registered the   
girl's shouted good-byes as he melted into the dissipating crowd.  
  
Duo... Dammit! This wasn't going at all like he had planned!  
  
-  
  
-  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: Blame Kate. She requested I work on Last Chance as her birthday present, sooo... Happy Birthday, Kate!  
I'm so excited. This is my first story to get 100+ reviews. Thank you  
to every single person who reads, and double thanks to those who  
review! Thank you, thank you!  
My goal is to finish this before school starts on the 20th. I'm not   
entirely sure I can do it, but I really am going to try!  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!   
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	9. Rescue Me

LSE // 12-29-03   
(Last Chance - Chapter Nine: Rescue Me)   
rated: PG13 - language, content shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Rescue Me  
  
-   
  
The police station looked the same as the last time Heero had been   
there, right down to the sullen, bored looks on the officers. His   
mind spun with possible lies, hopelessly trying to figure out a way   
to free Duo without breaking any major laws. Or, if it came to that,   
just freeing Duo with hell to laws. As long as Duo was safe.  
  
He was halfway to the front desk with he heard it, a soft, hesitant   
call that stopped him dead in his tracks.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
Huddled in a chair just to the side of the lobby, Duo stared back at   
him with clear confusion, amethyst eyes wide. "What are you doing   
here?" he asked as Heero hurried over, sitting upright and uncurling   
slightly. One hand started to lift in effort to absently brush aside   
his bangs, but stopped short with a metallic clang. Duo was handcuffed   
to the chair.  
  
"Why..." Heero started to ask, sitting in the chair next to the   
American and glancing quickly out at the rest of the station, which,   
as a whole, seemed oblivious.  
  
"Am I here? Over-crowding, not enough cells. Not that I'm complaining,  
but it's cramped," he said with a slight smile, stretching slightly   
for emphasis as tired joints popped softly. "Why are you here, Heero?"  
Without pause for an answer, Duo laughed slightly, "Coming to play   
hero again for me?"  
  
"Something like that," he muttered, unable to piece together anything   
better to say.  
  
"Good ol' Heero," Duo said softly, "who knew there was a heroic streak  
under all that icy crust? I appreciate the effort, however misplaced,   
but I don't need your help. Go home to... whatever it is you do and   
leave me be. I've been humiliated enough for one lifetime."  
  
"Duo..."  
  
The American shook his head fiercely, braid swaying, "No, Heero, you   
listen. My life was just fine before you walked back in here causing   
trouble and making things complicated. Everything was so simple."  
  
"I'm sorry, Duo, for the way I hurt you..."  
  
"Sorry?" he laughed bitterly, free hand rising to tuck back loose   
strands of the braid. "You're sorry? Maybe you just don't get it,   
Heero. You can't..." Duo sighed, staring at Heero with tired eyes.   
"Forget it. Just go home, Heero. Fuck, I just want to go home."  
  
"Will they let you...?" Heero looked around the station warily,   
mindful of what that girl, Noel, had told him.  
  
"They have bigger fish to fry than me. And I did them a favor."  
  
Heero sat back in surprise, "By killing..."  
  
The look on Duo's face cut him off. The American shook his head   
warily, "Kill? Listening to street rumors again, Hee? I just roughed   
them up a bit on the way out the door. Who told you...?"  
  
"Noel. Your friend."  
  
"That bitch?" Duo laughed, running his free hand through his bangs   
absently, "What was she doing... Oh," he snuck a glance to Heero, eyes  
plainly saying the suspicions he couldn't voice.  
  
"She just showed up. A lot of people came."  
  
"Throw a party while I was gone?"  
  
"Not exactly. There was a drive-by outside your apartment," Heero   
muttered, wondering how Duo was going to react to the news. Hopefully,  
the other boy wouldn't care that Ys was dead. Heero only cared because  
he hadn't been the one to fire the lethal shot.  
  
Duo's eyes widened slightly, "Really? Good thing you weren't   
outside... Right?"  
  
His heart thudded in his chest at the sudden concern Duo couldn't   
conceal if he tried. "I was inside," he replied neutrally, not   
wanting to press his luck.  
  
Duo nodded, "Know who it was? Or did anyone even get hurt? They have   
incredibly bad aim sometimes." Without waiting for an answer, Duo's   
head turned away as he looked thoughtfully at his surroundings,   
"I could get out of here if I wanted, you know. I've been arrested   
lots of times. They don't seem to care about justice... which is good   
for me, eh?" He threw a sideways grin to Heero, who just stared   
complacently back at the boy with wary eyes.  
  
With a frown, he continued talking, softly, and almost to himself.   
"When you bailed me out last time, that was a mistake. I wasn't   
suppose to be in jail. I'm good at what I do," Duo added wryly, a   
suddenly lewd tone giving the meaning Heero did not want to hear.   
"You have to be to survive... Do you remember?"  
  
"Remember what, Duo?" he asked slowly, not understand what Duo was   
trying to say, but just grateful for the sound of the other youth's   
voice.  
  
"I was so surprised to see you. I didn't think I would ever see you   
again, Heero. I felt so ashamed it had to be like that, through bars.   
I hate the way you look at me. Whatever happened to how we were during   
the war? Why did things have to change, Heero?"  
  
"Things just change, Duo."  
  
The American sighed, "Ever the logical one."  
  
"Change... can be good."  
  
Abruptly, Duo shifted away from Heero and looked out again at the   
police station. "I'm going home and taking a long nap."  
  
Heero opened his mouth to ask how Duo thought he was going to get   
released, then closed it as the handcuffs dropped to the floor with a   
clatter that was lost to the buzz of administrative noise around them.  
"Ever the sly one," he murmured appreciatively, following as Duo   
walked out of the station like he owned the place. No one even gave   
them a second glance, which, even though it helped them, chilled   
Heero to the bone.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
They walked back to Duo's apartment in silence, Heero's attempts at   
conversation being largely ignored by the other boy. He watched the   
sway of Duo's backside, fascinating by the way the long braid waved   
back and forth with the boy's stride. Duo walked with his head down,   
hands in pockets, not looking up but yet radiating an air of complete   
awareness, announcing to the shadowed thieves he was not a target.   
  
The uneasy silence lasted until they entered the apartment and was   
broken by Duo suddenly turning to Heero to ask, "What are your plans?"  
  
Taken off guard, Heero responded with a largely inarticulate grunt.  
  
"Do you just plan on mooching off me forever?" Duo clarified, his tone  
indicating a grand indifference to Heero's answer, but his eyes   
clearly stating a complete contradiction. Don't leave me, the amethyst  
hues seemed to plead... or at least Heero read them that way.  
  
"No," Heero said carefully, "of course not."  
  
"I wouldn't mind," Duo replied with equal care, almost hesitantly.   
Before Heero could even manage a smile in return, however, the   
American turned on a heel and walked out the door.  
  
Shocked, it took Heero a few moments to comprehend what had just   
occurred, and a few more to hurry out into the hall. "Duo?" he said,   
not seeing anyone heading towards the stairs. He started to turn   
around, but only half-completed the motion when the door shut behind   
him. He stared at it with dull incomprehension, hand reaching out to   
reopen it, but finding it locked.  
  
"...Duo?"  
  
"Goodbye Heero," came the muffled reply.  
  
"Duo! What on earth -- open the door!" Heero growled, trying to knob   
again in futile panic.  
  
The unmistakable sound of several more locks being secured was the   
only response until, finally, Duo spoke again, almost pleading.   
"You have to leave, Heero. Go back to where ever you came."  
  
"Duo, I'm not leaving."  
  
"Please, just leave me alone! I don't know what you want with me, but   
I don't want anything with you! Go find a hotel. Call Relena, I'm sure  
she'll pay your ticket back. I don't want to be your pity project."  
  
Heero kicked the door lightly in frustration, "I told you, it's over   
with her. I don't want to be anywhere but right here, Duo."  
  
Silence for the longest time, and Heero thought Duo must have moved   
away from the door until a soft sigh barely reached his ears. "Please   
just leave."  
  
"I don't have anywhere to go."  
  
"You're resourceful."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Heero, are you still there...?"  
  
He jerked awake so suddenly that, with a dull thunk, the back of his   
head connected with the door. "Ow... Yes," Heero called, "I'm not   
leaving."  
  
"You should."  
  
"But I'm not. Open the door."  
  
For a minute, Heero held his breath, ears straining for the sound of   
footsteps or locks being slid back. In that moment, he feared Duo had   
gone away again, and he wished desperately to take the words back.   
"Duo?" he called at last, when he could not take the waiting any   
longer.  
  
Only silence greeted him.  
  
"I'm not leaving you," Heero called into the quiet, turning his head   
to better carry the words.   
  
His only response was the soft click of locks being undone. Not   
wanting to press his luck, Heero merely stood, joints protesting   
softly. The door remained closed, however, and at last he cautiously   
extended a hand and touched experimentally at the door. "Duo...?" the   
sound of the door opening seemed loud, despite the distance hum of   
background noise from the streets.   
  
11:13:49:27  
  
He winced, looking at the glowing numbers. He never should have fallen  
asleep. "Duo?" he called again, easing the door open with one hand.   
The apartment beyond was dark, none of the lights on. Stepping into   
the room, he reached for the switch, but a rustle of fabric and a soft   
voice stopped him.  
  
"Leave it off."  
  
Heero paused, then lowered his arm, trying to see into the gloom.   
Quietly, he pressed the door closed with his back and leaned against   
it, waiting for his eyes to adjust. There was another soft sound of   
movement, and then a click as a lamp's pale light broke the dark.   
Heero blinked twice, then focused on Duo, who was sitting on the   
couch watching him back.  
  
And the look on Duo's face stopped whatever half-response he had   
started to articulate.  
  
//Heero took a small sip, but Duo merely set his glass aside without   
so much as a taste. About to comment, Heero opened his mouth, but the   
look on Duo's face stopped him. "What is it?" he asked instead,   
staring in confusion at the gaze levelled at him. "Duo?"//  
  
Heero swallowed hard, shaken by the memory suddenly springing to mind.  
From... he didn't know how long ago. Years in the future from this   
reality, and seemingly an eternity from his. Mere minutes before Duo   
collapsed, face pale...  
  
"Duo?" he asked, and was surprised at the way his voice shook. Fear?   
Concern. Transfixed by the dull surrender in Duo's eyes, the distance   
set of amethyst hues that reflected... Heero shook his head slightly.   
No, he was just imagining things. He had to be.  
  
Duo looked away with sigh, "What do you want?"  
  
"I told..."  
  
"No. You're hiding something from me. I can tell."  
  
When Duo's eyes flicked back, locking on Heero's and silently   
demanding the truth, he found himself looking away, unable to stand   
the intensity of that gaze. Thoughts raced, largely incoherent, and   
Heero stood mute. What could he say?  
  
He looked up at the sound of movement, and he stepped away from the   
door quickly, heart in throat. He wasn't imagining it now. Duo looked   
unsteady, touch lingering on the arm of the couch, calves pressed   
back as if to sink into the cushions... In the dim light, Heero could   
not tell if the other boy's face was paler then usual.  
  
"What do you want from me?" Duo repeated, the words falling into a   
near cry at the last.  
  
Heero closed the distance between them and took hold of Duo's elbow   
to steady the boy. The American looked up in surprise, then violet   
hues narrowed as he shook off Heero's hand and took a step away.   
"Just go away, Heero. You can't save me," contempt dripped emphasis   
on the words, and they struck Heero cold.  
  
"Duo... Are you all right?" he asked faintly, dreading the response.   
This close, he could easily see... Not again! his mind whispered.   
Shinigami would be amused at least... No!  
  
The boy sneered, but the effect was ruined by the sudden sway. Heero   
immediately steadied him, and didn't let go. His heart thudded loudly,  
so loud, he almost lost himself in it and barely registered Duo's   
answer. "Fuck off."  
  
"...Duo?" Heero managed to draw his eyes away from the boy's face,   
something in the corner of his vision drawing his attention. He   
frowned, eyes focusing in the murky light. Relief hit him strong   
enough for him to actually let out a breath that lifted slightly in   
almost a hysterical chuckle. With relief came clarity, and he easily   
dismissed his earlier fear.   
  
"You've been drinking, haven't you?" Heero asked, trying to inflect   
concern but unable to stop himself from venting anger.   
  
"So what if? Didn't I tell you to fuck off?" Duo glared and made to   
push the other boy away, but Heero only tightened his grip. The   
American frowned, anger starting to give way to worry. "Hey. Let off,   
you're hurting me."  
  
"Do you have any idea how..." Heero caught the last word, checked   
himself, and relaxed his grip on the boy. The table next to the couch   
held empty bottles, and, now this close, he could... Close. Unable to   
help himself, Heero glanced at Duo's full lips, which were pursed   
slightly into a pout. His heart pounded. It wouldn't be very hard to   
just lean...  
  
Duo leaned towards him.  
  
Heero's eyes widened.  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: I don't even want to know how long it's been since my   
last update. Seriously. Oh well. Shouts out to Kate for always yelling  
at me to get writing, and to Meg. 3 you, babe.  
More soon, hopefully.  
Uh, if anyone sent a request to join the Update ML, you'll have to   
send it again. Oops. Sorry. It's "VioletNyteML@yahoo.com" now.  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	10. Another Promise

LSE // 1-4-04   
(Last Chance - Chapter Ten: Another Promise)   
rated: PG13 - language, content shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Another Promise  
  
-   
  
Duo leaned towards him.  
  
Heero's eyes widened.  
  
Duo kept leaning.  
  
He caught the boy's weight, taking a slight step back to maintain his   
balance as Duo fell limp into his arms. Heero's heart still pounded   
in his ears, but he forced himself to calm down. He twisted, taking   
Duo's weight with him, and settled them both on to the couch. The   
boy's head rolled back to expose a slender column of throat, and   
Heero could clearly see the pulse there beating strong.  
  
"Baka," he chided softly. Without shame, he kept his arms around the   
other boy despite the fact the couch now supported the unconscious   
form. Cautiously, he stroked his fingers down the length of Duo's   
throat, caressing the pale skin. Soft, pink lips were parted slightly.  
Duo always looked deceptively innocent in his sleep. Peaceful.  
  
Heero extended his hand around behind Duo's head and gently brought   
the boy's head forward, shifting back along the couch and edging   
stacks of magazines to the floor as he went. Duo remained asleep as   
Heero repositioned him so that the American more or less was laying   
on the couch, with his head pillowed on Heero's lap.  
  
Time was ticking away, he knew, but he couldn't bare to try and wake   
the boy. There was still enough time. "I know you love me..." Heero   
whispered softly, stroking chestnut bangs away. "What are you so   
afraid of, Duo?"  
  
"Are you afraid I'll hurt you...?" Heero winced, remembering the   
bitterness, the anger... Were the wounds too fresh? What if it had   
just been revenge? His mind whispered to him. Duo's confession just   
before collapsing in suicide days... years... So long ago, it seemed,   
and yet, Heero could easily conjure every second. It was seared into   
his brain, the tone of Duo's voice, every word the boy had spoken...  
  
Revenge for the pain Heero had put him through?  
  
No.  
  
Duo did love him.  
  
"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Duo."  
  
I love you.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
One moment, he was chasing a braid through the darkness, and then the   
darkness was absolute. Heero stopped running and made to turn around,   
when light flooded his senses and the dream abruptly ended. Blinking   
in surprise, he found himself sitting on a familiar sofa in a very   
familiar apartment. A weight rested in his lap, making his legs go   
numb. He looked down.  
  
Forever black eyes stared up at him adoringly. "You make such a   
wonderful pillow, my love." Shinigami grinned and lifted one light   
brown brow, "Hiya."  
  
Cobalt glared. "What do you want?"  
  
Lips lowered into a pout, "You don't seem very pleased to see me..."   
The God of Death sat up and turned to face Heero with a sly grin in   
place, one hand rising to absently try and bring calm to hopelessly   
messy hair. "Did you miss me? I was delayed over in Columbia, a bit   
of a civil war erupted and, well, I was a bit busy."  
  
"I'm sure," Heero remarked dryly. "I take it I fell asleep?"  
  
Shinigami nodded brightly, "Good thing, too. I was getting bored."  
  
"I'm going to wake up now." Heero kept the words from being an angry   
growl, but just barely.  
  
The God raised an eyebrow, then tossed his head and looked away, arms   
folding over his chest. "I can't let you do that, Heero." He glanced   
over, grin suddenly gone and dark eyes serious. "Death is the deepest   
sleep, but that doesn't mean I am without power in its lighter   
realms."  
  
Shinigami unfolded his arms and turned, oblivious to Heero's glare.   
Black eyes searched over Heero's face as the silence between them   
grew. It was Heero who broke it finally, breaking his glare and   
looking away, hands forming into fists. "What do you want then?"  
  
A hand caressed over Heero's thigh as the God closed the distance   
between them in a very intimate way, stradling the Japanese youth.   
Eyes wide, Heero turned his head quickly, and found himself face-to-  
face with Shinigami, those endless black eyes staring into him.   
"What... What the hell?!" Heero shouted, starting to break away, but   
a surprisingly strong grip closed over his shoulder.  
  
"I could help you forget him, that mortal. Your Duo. I can offer you   
eternity, and more. I don't know what it is about you, Heero, but..."   
Shinigami flushed, gaze intense and locked on Heero's face. One hand   
pressed Heero to the couch, but it was more surprise then force that   
pinned the other boy. "I don't know what it is..."  
  
That dark gaze dropped, and the change was instaneous. Light brown   
hair tinted to chestnut, and lengthened, curling into that trademark   
braid and, when Shinigami raised his eyes again, amethyst glittered   
with a desire that took Heero's breath away. Even though he knew it   
was an illusion, the resemblance... even down to the way one slender   
hand rose to brush aside the fall of bangs...  
  
"I can offer you everything, Heero..." Even the voice was the same,   
the gentle lifting accent that was so uniquely Duo. Duo... Soft lips,   
a caressing touch down his cheek, a lithe body against his. Thoughts   
were suddenly unimportant. Logic was discarded in the favor of   
passion, demanding hands sliding off clothing.   
  
Heero found himself trailing kisses over a pale neck, Duo beneath him.  
One hand worked free the hair tie, and Duo sat up to shake out the   
long waves of hair. Arms circled his waist, and Heero let out a low   
sound of surprise as Duo's nimble fingers danced over the buttons to   
Heero's jeans. He leaned forward, capturing Duo's lips with his own,   
tangling his hand through the hair which fell as a veil over them b  
oth. They shifted, laying along the length of the couch, a tangle of   
discarded clothes, chestnut hair and flesh.  
  
Hips pressed together and Duo moaned, tilting his head back, breaking   
the kisses. Hands roamed over an expanse of abdomen and across Heero's  
lower back, sliding under the waist of half-clinging jeans and gently   
squeezing the boy's backside. Heero shifted upwards in response,   
kissing Duo deeply and caressing one flushed cheek. He shifted, one   
leg over Duo's, pressing against him as his other hand slid   
underneath, across the small of Duo's back to support.  
  
He lifted the boy, bring their hips closer together even as Duo slid   
away the last remaining vestiges of clothing. "Duo..." he murmured   
against the kisses.  
  
Duo froze. Chestnut hair vanished. Heero opened his eyes and found   
himself staring into black depths once again. They looked as stunned   
as he felt. Both boys were breathing hard, bodies straining to   
continue with the momentum of what had brought them to this point.   
Shock faded, and Shinigami's gaze softened with sadness. "Heero..."   
he whispered back, pleading against the hard edge of anger that was   
leaking into the cobalt above him.  
  
Heero moved away with difficulty, aided by the fact the body beneath   
him no longer resembled... Duo. A sharp pain to his heart as Heero   
realize what had almost happened, but rage quickly took over. "You   
bastard," he said in a voice that made the God sit up quickly,   
conjured clothing suddenly covering him.   
  
"You fucking BASTARD!" Heero roared, diving the length of the couch,   
not even remembering that he had tried before and failed to pummel   
the shit out of Shinigami.  
  
"Heero! Wait!" the God twisted away and fell to the floor, scrambling   
back over the stacks of debris.  
  
Wordless growling was his only answer, as Heero turned slowly, hands   
curling into fists. "If you weren't..."  
  
"I'm sorry!" Shinigami said with sincerity, "I shouldn't have used   
that form, I know, I'm sorry. It was stupid of me, and I'm sorry."  
  
"Is this just another one of your games? Amusement for you," he   
sneered, not even seeing the way the God flinched back at the words.  
  
Shinigami raised a shaking hand through his hair, eyes warily watching   
in case Heero decided to lunge for him again. He dared a smile,   
desperately trying to smooth away the murderous rage that stared back   
at him. "It's not a game, Heero. Not anymore..."   
  
"I want to wake up. I have to get back to Duo."  
  
Pain slashed through dark eyes before they narrowed in determination,   
"I told you, I can't let you do that. I have the power to hold you   
here, Heero. Give it a hundred years or two, you'll forget about that   
boy. I have all the time in the world."  
  
"You can't! We have a deal, Shinigami. You promised..."  
  
The God lifted his head, the gesture cutting off the words even before  
he started speaking. "Don't insinuate I'm going back on our deal! You   
fell asleep. Time's still running, Heero. You haven't got much left."  
  
Anger faltered, then faded, and cobalt hues pleaded in a very unHeero-  
like way. "Shinigami... Let me try. If I don't save Duo... I can't   
live knowing I failed Duo once again and it won't be soon before   
I die. If you release me from this nightmare, I will swear to you...   
When this is done, and if I have failed... Shinigami, you can have me.  
I'll be yours. Just let me finish this, one way or another, with Duo."  
  
Shinigami paused, brows drawing forward over dark eyes, "Mine?"  
  
"Forever."  
  
"Could you love me?" he asked quietly, but shook his head quickly.   
"Don't answer that. I don't want to know." Shinigami stood,   
cautiously, and sat once more on the edge of the couch, a careful   
distance from Heero. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you promise the   
God of Death your soul?"  
  
Heero hesitated, "My soul?"  
  
"When you die, that's what you become, isn't it? For your mortal mind   
to comprehend, we can call it your soul," the God answered   
impatiently, dark eyes eager.  
  
"Then, yes," Heero nodded, "I promise you my soul when I die."  
  
"In return, I release you from sleep right now?"  
  
Heero nodded again, not trusting the triumphant glint he saw in the   
God of Death's eye.  
  
Shinigami closed the distance between them. One moment, he was on the   
edge of the couch the next, almost in Heero's lap. Before the stunned   
boy could respond, however, Shinigami leaned in and kissed him gently.  
"You have yourself a deal."  
  
The darkness came too quickly for Heero to answer.   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It felt wrong.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
But it took him a few minutes to realize why.  
  
He was lying on the couch, head resting in Duo's lap. "Duo?" he   
questioned, staring up at a pair of worried violet eyes amid a myriad   
of fuzziness. He blinked, things cleared, and he registered a cool   
cloth across his forehead.  
  
"Are you all right?" Duo asked, taking the cloth away. "I was starting  
to worry."  
  
Duo? Worry? Heero blinked again. Hadn't they fallen asleep the other   
way, with Duo's head in his lap? Obviously, Duo must have woken up...  
  
"Can you sit up?"  
  
He felt fine, beyond a lethargy that was quickly fading as he became   
more alert, so he nodded and did so. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said   
quietly, trying to get a read on Duo's mood. Had he forgotten their   
earlier quarrel, or was he choosing not to bring it up? Either way,   
it was better for Heero.  
  
"I was starting to worry. I woke up and you were talking in your   
sleep. You felt a bit hot, with fever, I thought maybe you were   
sick..."  
  
Heero felt a small flush creeping across his cheeks, "Talking?"  
  
Duo nodded with an answering blush, "Were you having a nightmare?   
You... You were calling my name. Are you all right now? You've been   
asleep for over ten hours..."  
  
The world stopped. It simply stopped. Everything fell away and in the   
sudden silence, all Heero could think about was that triumphant glint   
in Shinigami's eye. The God had known. Of course he would have known.   
  
//You fell asleep. Time's still running, Heero. You haven't got much   
left."//  
  
"...Heero? Are you okay...? You're pale..."  
  
"How long... How long have I been asleep...?" Heero lifted his hand   
slightly and turned his wrist over, staring down at the numbers.  
  
00:03:38:56  
  
"Heero? Are you okay?"  
  
00:03:36:42  
  
"Heero?! I'm going to get someone, there's a doctor downstairs   
I think. Stay here!"  
  
00:03:34:51  
  
"...Duo! Wait!"  
  
00:03:32:16  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: Uhm. Go easy on the death threats, ne? ...::hides::   
Okay, maybe I'll finish this tomorrow! ^_^ I have the ending all   
planned out and everything...   
I was so sad when hardly anyone reviewed! (lots of hugs and kisses to   
everyone who did -- hooray!) o_o did everyone just give up/not realize  
the new chapter was up, or did it just suck that much? *begs* Please,   
if you're reading this, let me know!! I know it's been forever, but..!  
^_^() anyway. I love reviews! ...Kate, D... you know I do this just to  
make you scream, right?  
3 Meg, as always!  
Uh, if anyone sent a request to join the Update ML since chapter 8,   
you'll have to send it again. Oops. Sorry. It's:  
VioletNyteML@yahoo.com  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	11. Zero

LSE // 1-4-04   
(Last Chance - Chapter Eleven: Zero)   
rated: PG13 - language, content shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Zero  
  
-   
  
Gunfire cracked the silence and, with an almost bored flick of his   
hand, Shinigami freed the soul from the blood-splattered corpse. Not   
even mass genocide held the appeal it once did. Lifting his hand, he   
turned his wrist over to watch the spinning numbers. He'd kept his   
end of bargain. It was Heero's fault for not realizing how precious   
little time remained. Within minutes, it would be over.  
  
"And you'll be mine, Heero," the God whispered. He sighed and turned   
away from the carnage of the jungle, seeking instead the tangled   
cement and steel city. He emerged from shadow, footsteps silent   
against the backdrop of urban sprawl. Mortals passed on either side   
of him and those who brushed too close to the shadowed presence they   
could not see felt the cold kiss of Death across their soul.  
  
Shinigami ran a distracted hand through his hair and paused on the   
street corner, watching the glowing traffic light. He knew he should   
watch, to see what was happening with Heero, but he couldn't bring   
himself to do it. What if Heero succeeds? Shinigami could not go back   
on his word. He had promised Heero to return Duo to him.  
  
But only if he succeeded.  
  
"He won't," Shinigami sighed. He can't.   
  
He's mine.  
  
Dark eyes closed as he remembered the touch of flesh, the passioned  
caresses and, if only for a moment, he could pretend they were meant   
for him. With pain, he recalled the way Heero had whispered the   
mortal's name, and Shinigami felt a hot sense of guilt for deceiving   
Heero in such way.   
  
Endless black eyes looked up at the traffic light as it changed from  
yellow to red. A large truck tried to beat the change, and the   
intersection exploded into the screams of tortured metal, the sharp   
fracturing of glass, and the startled cries of humans.   
  
Shinigami had a promise to keep.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The tail end of a chestnut braid was disappearing around the corner.   
Frozen time shattered, and Heero all but threw himself from the couch   
in a flurry of motion. "Duo! WAIT!" he yelled, stumbling over stacks   
of debris. "Duo!"  
  
Thoughts raced together, colliding and stumbling in panic as he   
reached the door and the hallway beyond. Three minutes! What could he   
do? Duo turned just beyond the stairwell and blinked back him, head   
tilting slightly to the side as he started to ask what was wrong.   
The words died into a startled gasp when Heero all but ran into him.   
They staggered back, and out on to the stair landing.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
"Duo! Listen. Just, just listen," Heero managed, desperate to collect   
his thoughts. What could he do? "You have to listen to me, Duo."  
  
"Okay, Heero," the other boy answered warily, brow worried into a V   
with concern. "I'm listening."  
  
Heero released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. No easy   
way to say it, and not enough time to hesitate any longer "Duo, I   
know that I hurt you, and I'm sorry. It was stupid of me. I never   
should have left. Duo... I love you."   
  
Amethyst eyes widened.  
  
Heero held his breath.  
  
Duo continued to stare at him.  
  
And took a step back as if to flee.  
  
"Duo, say something," Heero pleaded, the watch on his wrist suddenly   
a heavy, heavy weight threatening to pull him down. He took a step   
towards Duo, but the American skittered down three stairs, then   
grabbed at the rail to halt his fall. Heero cautiously closed the   
distance, "It's why I'm here. You asked me what I want... I want you,   
Duo, because I love you. I want you to be happy... I'd like to be the   
one to do that for you."  
  
He closed to final gap between them, and gently put his arm around   
Duo's shoulders. The other boy tilted his head back, and Heero found   
himself kissing soft lips. Mouths parted, tongues danced, and his   
heart soared. Duo shifted, his back against the rail, and gently   
pressed his fingers against Heero's chest.  
  
Heart pounding, Heero pulled away from the kiss, and stared at Duo.   
Slowly, Duo's lips twisted into a small smile, which Heero returned   
hesitantly, eyes questioning.   
  
"You love me?" Duo asked softly, in disbelief.  
  
Heero nodded, not able to trust his voice enough to speak.  
  
"Yeah." came the soft reply, the smile spreading. Duo set both hands   
on Heero's chest and caressed as amethysts glinted, "Well. Fuck you,   
Heero," he growled. And pushed.  
  
"I loved you, once!" Duo shouted. "You broke my heart, you bastard,   
and you can't fucking expect me to forget it!"  
  
A whirl of colors and lights as Heero, aided by Duo's shove and his   
own stunned disbelief, tumbled down the stairs. He rolled up against   
the landing on the floor below and caught himself on the railing.   
Duo's angry voice echoed in the small stairwell and inside his head,   
a much sharper pain then anything physical.  
  
00:00:01:56  
  
"Well I hate you!" Duo yelled down at him.  
  
00:00:00:37  
  
It hurt too much to watch the numbers anymore.  
  
00:00:00:00  
  
From the shadows, Shinigami sighed.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"How does your head feel?"  
  
Heero snapped his eyes open, and then instantly regretted the action   
as light pierced through his skull. A soft click, and the light dimmed  
to a tolerable level. This was all very familiar... A rushing tide of   
emotion; guilt, anger, sorrow, and most painfully, failure. He had   
failed Duo. He opened his eyes again and recognized his surroundings   
as being his apartment. His apartment?  
  
Pain surged through his head as he tried to sit up, and a gentle hand   
firmly pushed him back against the pillows of his sofa. "Stay. You   
took a bad blow to the head."  
  
That was out of place.  
  
Shinigami sat on the couch beside him, leaning over with dark eyes   
filled with concern. "How does your head feel?" he asked again,   
removing his hand once he felt Heero relax.  
  
"I'm dead, then? The fall killed me?"  
  
"If you were dead, you wouldn't feel pain," Shinigami answered with   
impatience. He sighed, and glanced away. "You're not dead, Heero, as   
much as I would like for you to be. The year is A.C. 201 and you're   
back right where you started."  
  
"And Duo..."  
  
"You failed," the God answered shortly, looking back over, the   
immortal power in his dark eyes muted with an unreadable emotion. "I'm   
genuinely sorry. I hope you don't think I'm at fault."  
  
Heero shrugged. He just felt tired. "You won, then. My soul is yours."  
  
"When you die."  
  
"I have a gun in the bedside drawer."  
  
"No!" Shinigami stared at him, eyes wide, and then relaxed with a   
careless grin. "That will mess up your face."  
  
"What then, poison? I don't want to play your games anymore." Duo was   
dead. He had failed. Failed.  
  
"Heero..." Shinigami sighed, then merely shrugged. "I'm a sucker for   
romance, he said quietly with a sudden smile. He looked over at the   
stunned look on Heero's face and winked, "Don't tell anyone, kay?"   
He leaned in and graced a slight kiss on shocked lips.  
  
"Shinigami...!"  
  
The pain in his head vanished, but the world spun wildly. He stood,   
staggered, and sat back down on the couch heavily. When things stopped  
whirling, the God of Death was gone, and he found himself staring at   
his answering machine.  
  
The sound of a telephone ringing faded.  
  
A sharp beep. The light flicked on as the machine began to record.  
  
Silence.  
  
"...Heero? Oh. Hey, guess you aren't home. God, I feel so stupid..."  
  
"Duo...?"  
  
"I'm sorry for bothering you. I really thought you'd be home..."   
  
"Duo! I am home! Dammit!" he swore and bolted for the kitchen phone,   
chased by the sound of Duo's sad voice filling the apartment.  
  
"Damn, I wish there was a way to just delete this. Oh, never mind."  
  
His hand closed over the phone.  
  
"Just... sorry for bothering you," Duo finished.  
  
"DUO! I'm home! I'm here!"  
  
A dial tone.  
  
Heero screamed in fury and threw the phone on the floor, fractured   
bits of plastic radiating out like missiles across the tile. "Dammit!"  
  
It's not too late!  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"DUO!" he fell against the apartment door, breathless. "Duo! God   
dammit I know you're home!"  
  
//The door swung open easily, unlocked and loose on its hinges.//  
  
Frantic, Heero grabbed the knob. Still unlocked. The apartment beyond   
was just as barren and empty as he remembered. A startled Duo was   
emerging from the bathroom with a towel hastily thrown around his   
waist, chestnut hair hanging damp and clinging to his shoulder and   
back. Heero compared it to his memory. Duo couldn't have been in the   
shower for very long.  
  
When had Duo taken the fatal over dose?  
  
"Heero?" he asked, violet eyes wide. "What's wrong?"  
  
He crossed the room and grabbed the young man by the arms. Duo   
blinked and made a feeble effort to pull away, but then froze when he   
met the wild, desperate look in Heero's eyes. "Heero? What the fuck!"  
  
Heero made a visible effort to calm down and tried to think   
rationally. How had this gone before? Before, he had no idea what Duo   
had wanted with that phone call. Now he did. What had Duo said? Heero   
licked dry lips. "Remember what it was like during the war?"  
  
"Heero?"  
  
"Not the fighting. ...Us. I made a mistake. God, Duo, did I ever make   
a mistake... Relena, you, everything." Heero took a breath to try and   
remove some of the dangerous tremble from his voice. He was back on   
the stairwell, time running against him, staring at the same pair of   
guarded, wounded eyes. "I hurt you. I'm so sorry for that. I want to   
try and make it up to you."  
  
Duo tossed his head back, still wary, "As what, a clearing of your   
sins before marriage? No thanks."  
  
"Duo. I'm not marrying Relena. Everything's over between us."  
  
Desperately, Heero waited for the reaction. Just like before, Duo's   
eyes flew wide as the color drained from his face. "You're not..."  
  
"No. She was a huge mistake. I don't think I ever loved her. Not like   
I love you."  
  
"You..."  
  
"I love you," Heero repeated firmly.   
  
Duo looked stricken, horrified. Panic sprang to those wide violet   
eyes, and Heero shifted his grip to take up more of Duo's weight as   
trembling knees refused to support to stunned American any longer.   
"Heero, I... Oh, my god. I was going to tell you, on the phone, or,   
in a note, something. I don't know... Oh. Jesus. Heero, I never, I   
couldn't, I didn't know! The war, after, I was so mad at you! But.   
But I never stopped loving you, I never did. I was going to tell you.   
How, how did you know...?"  
  
"Shh," Heero whispered, fighting the hard edge of fear.  
  
"I love you, too, Heero. I do. I really do. Oh... Fuck... I'm so   
sorry, I'm so stupid! It wasn't suppose to work out this way."  
  
Heero's heart stopped. Very slowly despite the way his mind screamed   
to hurry, he looked down at Duo and managed to ask one question.   
"What did you do?"  
  
The look on Duo's face said it all.  
  
"Where is the phone?"  
  
//For a moment, Heero simply stared at the phone in shock, unable to   
realize why it was beeping at him. That rapid, annoying beep that   
signaled another phone was off the hook somewhere in the house//  
  
Duo's brows twitched down into a momentary frown, "The bedroom.   
Underneath the pillows. I left it on..."  
  
With agonizing calm, Heero gently lowered Duo to the floor, propping   
him up against one of the shipping crates. The American looked dazed,   
pale, but not yet... not yet... "Stay here," he ordered, jumping back   
to his feet and running for where he vaguely remembered the bedroom   
being.   
  
He tossed aside pillows madly, and found the phone lying there as   
promised. It beeped angrily at him, and he punched it off. Shaking   
hands dialed emergency even as he hurried back to the main room.   
Duo remained right where Heero had left him, and still, mercifully   
conscious.   
  
"I'm not going to let you die," he said firmly at Duo's bewildered   
look. The operator finally picked up, and, to Duo's further confusion,  
Heero rattled off their emergency.  
  
Shinigami smiled as sirens began to wail in the distance and he   
stepped back into the shadows. Death was needed elsewhere.  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: Yay! Thanks for all the nummy reviews! I can't   
believe it's all finally over!! I already have the epilogue written   
and I'll post it tonight as well. Just in time, too - I go back to   
school tomorrow!   
^_^() please don't hate me and go read the epilogue!  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


	12. Last Goodbye

LSE // 1-4-04   
(Last Chance - Epilogue: Last Goodbye)   
rated: PG13 - language, content shounen-ai/yaoi   
  
Last Goodbye  
  
-   
  
The quiet hum of machines drew him up from the depths of endless   
slumber, and a fierce voice whispered into his ear. "You can't die!"   
Since he didn't want to die, not anymore, he obeyed. When a second   
voice broke the grasping silence with a melodical hum to drown out   
the mechanical, he stirred awake through the layers of fog.  
  
"Hn? Awake are you?" came a soft voice, and one so completely   
unexpected that Duo opened his eyes to investigate.  
  
A mosaic of blurred colors sorted themselves out into the smiling   
face of a young nurse in green hospital scrubs. Duo blinked in   
surprised, and the nurse raised a finger to his lips. "Sh, your   
friend is still sleeping," he said in the same quiet voice, dark eyes   
twinkling with some suppressed secret.  
  
Duo turned his head enough to spot Heero, slouched in a chair beside   
the bed, head tilted back and unruly chocolate-colored hair even   
messier then usual. "He refused to leave your side, that one did. He   
stayed with you all through the night. We didn't think you were going   
to make it for a while."  
  
The nurse smiled and ran a hand through messy light-brown hair. Duo   
looked back over to him and returned the smile, a bit sheepishly. He   
started to say something, then paused. The nurse's eyes were a deep,   
dark black with endless depths. Immortal. Duo blinked, and shook the   
idea from his mind. What a silly thought!  
  
"He saved your life," the young man said, nodding towards Heero's   
sleeping form. "And it was close. If we hadn't gotten you in as soon   
as we did... who knows? Well, I don't mean to scare you or anything.   
But you're very lucky."  
  
Dark eyes hardened, demanding attention, as the voice dropped out   
from friendly tone, "Very lucky. He loves you, Duo. Without him, you   
would be dead. Don't throw this chance away."  
  
The moment was broken by the nurse's sudden smile, and Duo found   
himself quickly forgetting what had just occurred. "Very lucky,   
Mr. Maxwell," he said quietly.  
  
Duo turned his head to follow the nurse's progress out of the room,   
but a soft sound to his right brought his head back around. Blinking   
sleepily, Heero was starting to bring himself more-or-less upright   
within the confines of the hospital chair. Duo's breath caught, and   
he waited until cobalt eyes finally rested on him before offering a   
tentative smile.  
  
"Duo!" Heero cried, eyes going wide.  
  
"Hi," he said, voice rough from sleep and disuse.  
  
Shinigami leaned against the wall and tilted his head back with a   
grin, watching the two fumble with newly found love. Mortals, ha!   
Heero lifted his head suddenly, gaze shooting across the room and   
locking on Shinigami's face. The God straightened slightly, and   
resisted the urge to look over his shoulder.  
  
"Thank you," Heero mouthed silently.  
  
Shinigami shrugged uncomfortably and turned away into the shadows.  
  
"Heero?" Duo paused, and tilted his head. "What is it?" he turned his   
head in the directed the other boy was looking, but he saw nothing but   
shadows in the darkened corner of the small room.  
  
"Nothing," he said quickly, turning back and caressing a hand down the   
side of Duo's face. "Just thanking someone."  
  
"Oh," he frowned in confusion. "Who?"  
  
"A friend," Heero said quietly. "Are you tired?"  
  
"A bit," Duo managed around a yawn.  
  
Heero smiled, "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."  
  
Lids closed over violet eyes, and Duo's features smoothed out into   
sleep. Heero grazed a kiss on one cheek before standing and crossing   
the room, stopping a few feet from where the God of Death stood. They   
regarded each other warily for a few moments, and then Heero smirked,   
"Taken up nursing?"  
  
Shinigami scowled and the scrubs vanished in favor of simple jeans and   
plain white shirt. "Death is the doctor you come to when all others   
fail," he replied smugly, dark eyes smiling.  
  
"What happens now?" Heero asked quietly, turning to look over at the   
hospital bed. "What about our deal, Shinigami?"  
  
"When you die," Shinigami replied with a slight laugh in his voice.   
"I believe that was the original context of our agreement."  
  
Heero scowled, "I remember. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but   
what happen? I failed, didn't I? You said if I failed, nothing would   
change, and Duo would..."  
  
"I changed my mind," Shinigami said quickly, wanting to erase the   
sudden look of despair that crossed Heero's face. "You got two out of   
three of my requirements, that's not so bad. Leave it be, Heero.   
Don't try to understand Death."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
Heero rolled his eyes with a smile that was all Shinigami could ever   
ask for, "Do you see any other Gods of Death around here? What happens  
to you? Will I... Ever see you again?"  
  
Forever dark eyes grew serious, "Would you want to?"  
  
He shuddered at the implications of the query, "I don't want to die   
if that's what you're asking."  
  
Shinigami grinned to mask the disappointment in his eyes, "Well, then,   
don't do anything stupid."  
  
"You're a bastard, you know that?"  
  
"Love you too, Heero," he quipped back.   
  
Darkness shifted, Heero blinked, and the space before him was empty.  
  
The bed behind him, however, was not.  
  
He crossed the room again and perched on the chair, watching the play   
of sunlight across Duo's face and hair. The boy stirred in sleep,   
murmured Heero's name, and smiled. Heero reached out and gently   
pushed aside the fall of delicate bangs.   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hanging his jacket on the rack, Heero looked around the apartment   
expectingly and then frowned when it remained silent. "Duo?" he   
called, stepping inside more and tilting his head to catch any faint   
response. "Duo?"  
  
"Heero! Come quick!"  
  
Drawn by the urgency, Heero ran for the sound of the shout and   
skidded around the corner into the small hallway that led to the   
bedroom. Duo turned his head and grinned, standing awkwardly on a   
chair with both arms extended high above his head to position a framed   
picture against the wall. "Hi! Welcome home, can you give me a hand?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Heero stepped forward and stretched on his toes,   
grabbing the bottom edge of the frame. "The way you shouted, I thought   
maybe you were being eaten by the cat." The feline in question meowed   
and wound herself around Heero's ankles.  
  
Duo ignored the comment and stuck out his tongue in concentration,   
deftly hammering the nails to hold the picture in place. "Tada!" he   
said proudly, and shifted his foot to step off from the chair.   
  
Heero caught him around the waist and pulled the boy down safely, but   
kept his arms around Duo long after both feet had reached the carpet.   
"What are you so proud about?" he asked, lifting his head to look up   
at the picture. It was an old one, the two of them at some after the   
war party. Heero sulked with a grinning Duo hanging off his arm and a   
party streamer draped over one shoulder like some long-forgotten sash   
of honor.  
  
"I found it when I was unpacking," Duo remarked, following Heero's   
gaze. "I thought it would look cute."  
  
"Cute," Heero repeated, and made a face. "Couldn't you have picked   
something else?"  
  
"I knew you'd say that. Smile!" Duo pulled a camera out of nowhere and   
held it at arms length. Heero blinked moments before the flash went   
off and then blinked again at the residual dots. "There. I couldn't   
find any other pictures of us together."  
  
Heero smirked and tightened the circle of his arms, drawing Duo   
closer, "Maybe we should remedy that."  
  
Amethysts rolled in amusement, "I refuse to have the photo guy stare   
at me like some amateur porn star."  
  
"Fine. We'll go take innocent pictures of trees or something   
afterwards."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that'll be dandy, we can have an apartment filled with   
pictures of trees."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Duo laughed as they drifted into the bedroom and barely remembered to   
nudge the door closed before the cat could follow.  
  
Afterwards, the sheets half-draped over then both, Duo gave a languid   
stretched and rolled over, then propped himself up on elbow. "Heero,   
what's this?" he asked, picking up the photograph from the night   
stand. Heero gave a fully inarticulate noise, and then bothered to   
open one eye when Duo gasped. "Heero!"  
  
He sat upright as Duo flicked on the lamp. "When was this?" Duo asked,  
puzzled, tilting the picture so they both could see.  
  
Heero nearly choked on his tongue. "Where did you get that?"  
  
The American blinked innocently and gestured, "The night stand." He   
paused, then grinned, "Heero! You're so thoughtful, did you know I   
wanted to put up a picture of us? When did you even have the time to   
look for it? ...Where did you find it? I don't remember this even   
being taken."  
  
Heero stared. It was a very familiar scene, although not entirely one   
he would have liked Duo to be privy to. As, however, it technically   
involved Duo... His head spun trying to figure it out. The battered   
sofa, the debris just barely visible around the edges...  
  
Captured forever in four-by-six glossy print, Heero and Duo locked in   
passioned embrace.   
  
Only Heero knew the exact scene portrayed. And it wasn't Duo, just   
Shinigami using the American's form.  
  
And there was no way there could be a photograph of it.  
  
Unless...  
  
-  
  
-   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*End*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Author's Notes: Whee! What a crazy ride. o_o what did you think?  
Kate wants me to write a sequel, and I already sort of have the idea   
ready. I might just write it for my own amusement, unless anyone would  
like to read it? Let me know! It would be more of an original story   
and Shinigami-centric, with Heero and Duo only having a minor role.   
Shouts out to Kate, D and Tia for reading, Holly for musing and lots   
of hearts for Meg!  
  
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!  
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.   
Email me to join my Update ML!   
LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)   
shameless plug - visit my website   
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net 


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